Same Design, Different Robes
by RavenWriter89
Summary: Artemis and Harry have more in common than just looks. Together they would be a formidable opposition. Unfortunately, their petty disagreements always seem to get in the way...
1. Chapter 1: Two Kids in a Field

**A walk to remember – an abbreviated introduction – an unexpected shower – cats and leprechauns – burning toast – speculation**

See the world. See the fragile blue-green jewel endlessly spinning through space. Look closer. Look towards the white ice surrounded by more land than water. See the landforms take on detail as you move closer. See the small islands appear as you move closer still. Look to one particular island, not small, but not extraordinarily large either. You focus in on the north, where the land becomes wild and misty. One valley stands out. Below there are two figures, walking along the moor.

They are arguing. Again.

"I can understand why I'm here in the middle of nowhere. This kind of thing happens to me all the time. But why do I have to be stuck with some wonder-kid who can't even find his way home?"

They are remarkably similar in appearance, save for the fact that one is wearing robes and the other is in a suit.

"Perhaps your little stick can point us in the right direction. It's the reason we're here in the first place."

The other boy's green eyes flashed dangerously. "Stop calling it a stick! It's a _wand_, and it _is_ pointing the way home. Look." The wand in the boy's hand spun around once, then froze with the tip aiming behind him. The boy looked embarrassed for a moment. "Oops," he muttered.

Artemis reluctantly followed the other boy across the heath. His sudden appearance here had been a complete accident according to the boy in front of him. The unfortunate side-effect of the pair of them being transported a mile from this castle was unplanned as well. He instantly disliked this boy. He was short-tempered, touchy, and did not like suggests from other people. And he claimed he was a wizard. Artemis had seen strange and unusual things in his short life, but never a human saying he could do magic.

"So there are more people like you, then, at this school?" he drawled.

"Haven't you been listening? There are wizards and witches all over the world. There's thousands in Britain alone. Hogwarts is the best wizarding school there is," the other boy retorted.

The only thing Artemis found useful about the boy was that he liked to correct people. He was a wealth of information.

"Right. I thought this was a big secret for you. Why tell me?"

"Because you'll probably have a Memory Charm used on you anyway, so you won't remember a thing. They're dead powerful, you know. Well, when they're done right."

"I'm sure." From up ahead he thought he heard the words "Irish idiot."

"Troglodyte," he muttered. They had been walking for close to an hour. They would have reached their destination already except that Scarface kept changing directions. Finally they crested a hill, and the other boy reacted very surprisingly. He gave a yell of triumph, and started to run forwards. All Artemis could see was yet another valley with a large lake in it. Nothing to be happy about.

"What are you so excited about? Are we almost there?" he asked.

"What are you talking about? We're here! It's right in front of us!" he exclaimed, slowing down.

Artemis looked over the field again, just to be sure that he hadn't missed something, which he doubted. Suddenly the other boy slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Of course!" he laughed. "You're a Muggle! You can't see it until you're inside the wards. Come on." He started down the hill again.

"Fabulous. More walking," he grumbled. "What precisely is a 'Muggle'?"

"Non-magic folk," he called back.

"Mud boy, Muggle. These people all think alike."

More trudging. Artemis blinked in surprise when the other boy suddenly vanished. He walked forward and felt…something…change. The world twisted, and a huge castle appeared before him. Artemis actually felt his eyes widen. This was unexpected.

"Harry, you're back!" A girl was running towards them, with a red-headed boy behind her. "What happened? You were trying to conjure who-knows-what when you disappeared!" She stopped when she noticed Artemis. "Who's this?" Her tone was not very welcoming.

Harry glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, that's Arthur-"

"Artemis," he corrected.

"-and apparently he's the thing I conjured. Complete accident of course."

The girl approached Artemis cautiously, like he was something that would bite her. "Hi. I'm Hermione, and this is Ron," she said and indicated the red-haired boy. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm doing splendidly. I _was_ rerouting funds made off illegal African diamonds into my own account when I found myself in the middle of uncharted Scotland with a person who claims to be a wizard. I'm having a grand old time. I must say this is much more fun," he replied derisively.

Ron the Red leaned over to Harry, making no attempt to avoid being heard. "Where'd you find this one, mate? He has the same charming personality as Malfoy. Pale like him, too."

"And scrawny," laughed Harry. "Come on guys. Let's go up to the common room. I need a drink of pumpkin juice or something. I haven't walked that far in ages." They started to move off.

"And what about me? Am I to just wander around until somebody decides I should be shipped home?" questioned Artemis.

The trio looked uncomfortable. The girl spoke to Harry. "He's right, you know. We can't just leave him. At least in the common room he can't cause any trouble."

Harry sighed loudly. "Fine. Let's go, Arty," he called back. "Don't touch anything, and step where we do. Got it?"

"Yes, _sir._ And my name is Artemis."

As they walked up to the castle, Artemis hung back, and listened to them talk. He quickly understood that the girl, Hermione, was the brains of the group. _Although,_ he thought, _it wouldn't take much when compared to the other two._ Their conversation included many phrases unfamiliar to him, but he caught words like _charm_ and _spell_, even _witch_. He made a mental note to question them more closely about it once inside.

As soon as they walked through the doors, several things happened at once. The first was a loud whoop from above. Then the cry of "Duck!" from one of the boys. And finally, a large amount of cold and smelly water dumped over Artemis. He stood there for a moment, annoyed but unable to do anything about it, and let the water drip off him. He heard cackling coming from above. Someone shouted "Peeves!" very angrily. Artemis decided that this kind of treatment was worse than trolls.

He was aware that the girl was beside him. "Here," she said, "I'll take care of that." She pulled out another thin piece of wood, a wand presumably, and muttered something in Latin. Artemis was suddenly bone-dry. He inspected his suit for signs of damage. There were none.

"Simple drying spell," she explained. "You probably don't deserve it, but you obviously can't survive on your own." She looked at him thoughtfully, then added, "You'll need to blend in, too. Otherwise there'll be a few awkward questions." She waved her wand again, and Artemis's suit transformed into a set of black robes identical to Harry's. "Perfect," she said.

Artemis scowled slightly, but murmured a thank you. He reluctantly followed them up the sweeping staircase. He didn't want to know what else awaited him.

* * *

It was a large, ugly orange cat, and it refused to leave his lap.

"Well that's good sign," said Hermione. "Crookshanks usually hates strangers." Artemis had to settle for letting it sit on him, otherwise it would growl whenever he tried moving it, and Hermione would look over sharply.

There weren't any other people in the common room. The other three were quite content to ignore him, and sat in a corner finishing their Potions homework. Honestly, _Potions._ This whole place was like a carnival funhouse. Trick stairs, talking portraits, and ghosts were only a few things they had encountered on the way up here. It was too illogical for Artemis.

Yet he found some of it fascinating. He borrowed one of the textbooks and started to read about the various 'fantastic' creatures that inhibited this world of wizards. In particular he wanted to know how they viewed the People, or if they even knew about them. But when he came across _Fairies_ in the textbook, he was disappointed. All that was described were the tiny flying creatures out of folktales. _Centaurs, Gnomes,_ and_ Pixies _provided the same result. He did find the entry on _Leprechauns_ interesting, and actually laughed quietly at their description. He thought about asking the others if they knew anything about fairies living underground, but decided against it. One thing he noticed was that wizards liked to document everything. If it wasn't mentioned, then they probably didn't know about it.

He heard whispering and looked over to see both Ron and Hermione bending over their scrolls, occasionally glancing in his direction. Harry had fallen asleep in his armchair. Artemis resolutely turned his back on them when he heard a different noise. A gasp, and then a thud. He turned to see Harry convulsing on the floor. A shocked second passed, then Ron and Hermione rushed to his side. Artemis stayed where he was, watching. It looked like Harry was having some kind of seizure, but nothing in this place quite fitted with the reality Artemis knew. He didn't want to interfere in case something went wrong. He was also weighed down with the cat still sitting on him.

He didn't have to worry, because Harry woke up a few seconds later. He looked terrified.  
"I-I saw him," he gasped. "I saw Voldemort. He was in that house again. He looked straight at me."

"Are you going to tell Sirius?" asked Ron immediately.

"Are you going to tell Dumbledore?" asked Hermione urgently.

"Are you epileptic?" asked Artemis suddenly.

All three turned to stare at him. Harry glared. The cat hissed at him and jumped off to slink into a corner.

"Only sometimes," Artemis continued, "seizures can produce sensations of sights and smells that are not real. Tell me, Harry, do you smell burning toast?"

Even Harry could tell he was being made fun of. "Why don't you go play with Fluffy, you Irish git." He started to say more, but cried out and clutched at his head, covering the oddly shaped scar visible on his forehead. Artemis stood up instinctively, wondering what on earth was happening now.

"Harry, you need to go see Dumbledore about this. Maybe he can do something about it," suggested Hermione.

"No, no. I'm fine, really," he said, standing up. He stumbled a little, almost falling into Artemis, but managed to catch himself in time. Hermione was suddenly looking from Harry to Artemis and back very intently. "What is it?" he asked.

"I didn't notice it before, but now that you're standing next to each other, I see it."

"Notice what?" asked Harry.

"Ron, do you see it? Ignoring the glasses and the scar, I mean …"

Ron peered at the pair of them. He suddenly grinned. "I see what you mean, Hermione. They could be brothers."

"What!" cried Harry. Both he and Artemis turned to look at each other. Artemis had to admit that there were certainly some similarities between them. The same age, same height and size, same hair, same facial features…Hermione was right. Take away Harry's glasses and scar, and the only difference between them was eye colour. It was rather unsettling. Surprisingly, it was Harry that shook the effect off first.

"The same thing has been said about me and Riddle. It doesn't mean anything."

"Right, I wasn't saying it did, but still…it's eerie," Hermione said.

"Maybe we should make little labels for them to wear so we can tell them apart," snickered Ron.

"Will you knock it off?" Harry said impatiently. "I have to finish that essay and I don't need to be interrupted by visions of Voldemort dancing in my head or you two ogling at me. It's distracting." He returned to his chair and picked up the scroll he had dropped earlier. The other two also resumed their work.

Artemis was left alone once again. He settled into his own chair, and picked up another heavy volume. This one was titled _Hogwarts, A History_. He didn't know how long he would be stuck here, so he might as well find out as much as he could about this place. It might help later on. But really his mind was working on something entirely different. He was not a superstitious person, and he did not read meaning into every little oddity. But he also didn't believe in coincidences. He wondered…

**Please review, as this provides tinder for my ever-consuming bonfire of a mind.**

**This doesn't take place in any particular time in either book series, so some events might not match up perfectly. It's placed roughly around Order of the Phoenix for the HP series, and between The Opal Deception and The Lost Colony for the AF series.**

**Bonus: 20 points to whoever reviews. Consider this a goodwill treat.**


	2. Chapter 2: Blue plus Green equals Strife

**Lockhart memories – babblings – retaliation and a demonstration – invisible connections – a conversation involving CSIS**

Harry stared at the newcomer over the top of his textbook. He tried his best to ignore him, but he found his eyes continually drifting over to stare at him. Hermione's words rang in his ears. At first he thought Artemis would just be a harmless annoyance. But now he began to have doubts about him. The last time he met up with a look-alike both he and Ginny nearly died. Artemis's unexpected appearance was too convenient. Along with Harry's glimpses of Voldemort, and the increased Death Eater activities, it was starting to look highly suspicious. Harry had had enough experience to know that when something didn't look right, it probably wasn't.

Artemis's manner also disturbed him. He was very intelligent, that much was obvious. But he was also manipulating, yet pleasant when he wanted to be. He asked a lot of questions, but never revealed much about himself. He was a Muggle, but he took the knowledge of wizards and magic very calmly. Like he had knowledge of them already. He had never heard of a Muggle being allowed to keep his memories of an encounter with magic. And what was he doing with Hermione?!

He realised too late that Artemis had walked over to her and politely enquired about other textbooks she could recommend. She smiled uncertainly and gave him a few thick volumes. Harry could see that as Artemis walked back to his chair, Hermione stared after him for a few moments with a thoughtful expression. She had also learned in her second year not to trust a charming demeanour from a certain smiling fraud. Ron was right when he said he was like Malfoy. Although Artemis was clearly much more subtle than Lockhart or Malfoy put together. This kid was clever. And dangerous.

"Yes?" Harry started and became aware that Artemis had noticed him staring. He was looking at him with one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, nothing," he mumbled and buried himself in his parchment.

"Do you think he's who he says he is?" whispered Ron. Harry drew in his chair in order to hear better.

"Dunno. No Death Eater would be caught without a wand," Harry whispered back uncertainly.

"He doesn't have to carry a wand to be dangerous. A knife will do the job just as well," Ron said darkly.

"I don't entirely believe that he's a Muggle. He's taking all this much too well," Harry said.

"I don't know. He's terribly clever," added Hermione. "Maybe…" She paused.

"Maybe what?" Ron prompted.

"Never mind. Stupid idea. You'd never go for it, stupid to even think it. I mean, we don't know anything about him! He could be some sort of spy, or something, disguised as a Muggle."

Harry and Ron looked at each other. "Hermione," Ron said, "you're babbling. You only babble when you're hiding something. Spill it."

Hermione looked between the two of them, and, realising she couldn't escape, dropped her gaze to the table.

"I just thought…maybe, since he's so…maybe he could help us…with this…stuff."

Silence followed. Harry glanced at Ron and saw that he was about to go into a rant, when he was interrupted by none other than Artemis himself.

"What sort of stuff?" he asked. He had been standing close enough to overhear them.

Ron turned to him, prepared to chew him out instead of Hermione. "It was a _private_ conversation," he growled.

"Yes, but it is extremely rude to talk about someone without their knowing about it. So if you are going to talk about me, than I would rather be here for it." As he said this, he slipped neatly into a chair between Harry and Hermione.

"Where's Crookshanks when you need him? I bet he could drive this bugger off," Ron continued.

"Ron! Maybe we could just hear him out, you know, listen to his side of the stor-"

"Why do you always have to do that, eh? You always think the best of everyone and never see that maybe they don't deserve it. Remember Lockhart? That was a disaster. But oh no, let's give everyone a fair chance, and they'll turn out to be okay in the end, right? First impressions are always right. People aren't bad; they're just misunderstood. What a surprise when you're proven wrong," he finished angrily.

Hermione sat through Ron's speech silent and unmoving. When he had finished, she said only two words. "Victor Krum." Ron turned red and shut up after that.

Artemis watched the exchange with interest. Harry, used to this type of conversation, watched Artemis instead. He tried to read his reactions. Artemis maintained a mask of cool disinterest whatever the situation. When this mask wasn't being used, one of vague annoyance replaced it. Harry didn't pride himself on his judge of character; he had enough mistakes in his past to prove it. But he trusted his instincts, and they were warning of danger.

Again, Artemis caught Harry staring at him. The blue eyes held his green ones. Harry was about to look away when Artemis spoke.

"Can you show me some spells?" he asked.

Harry was caught off guard. He floundered until Hermione rescued him. "But you've already seen magic."

"Yes, but I want a more extensive demonstration. Can anyone show me?"

"I will," she offered.

She stood in the middle of the room and started to perform simple spells. Conjuring birds, changing papers into parsnips, making books fly around the room. She loved showing off her talents. Artemis watched it all keenly.

"Fascinating," he murmured. "Can you do any defensive spells?"

Hermione smiled evilly at the suggestion. Harry ducked out of the way as she sent a Full-Body Bind towards them, hitting Ron. He fell out of his chair with a cry as his muscles began to stiffen. Harry had to laugh as Ron's eyes glared at them while he struggled against the hex. Even Artemis smiled, although rather stiffly it seemed.

"I can do a lot more than that," Hermione said proudly.

"I'm sure you can," Artemis replied with a hint of admiration in his voice. He looked at the trio as if seeing them anew.

"You can all do this?" he asked.

"Of course. It is a wizarding school, genius," answered Ron as Harry released him from the spell and helped him up.

"The possibilities…" Artemis said softly.

Before Harry could question him about that statement, there was a noise in the corridor outside. Harry realised with a jolt that they couldn't explain Artemis's presence here. They had to hide him, and fast. He grabbed Artemis roughly and shoved him towards the stairs. "Quick," he hissed, "up the stairs, and through the third door on the right. Stay there and be quiet!" Harry expected Artemis to resist, but with a glance at the entrance, he comprehended the situation. He climbed up the stairs, even if he had an expression of indignation on his face. As soon as he passed out of sight, George came through the portrait hole.

"Oi, anyone seen Fred? He owes me ten quid. And before you ask what for, believe me, when you see him, you'll understand."

* * *

Feigning exhaustion, Harry went upstairs early. He found Artemis sitting on Dean's bed, reading yet another textbook.

"You're as bad as Hermione, you are," he muttered.

"How so?" Artemis asked without looking up.

"Reading all the time. It's a mystery to me how anyone can find those dusty old books interesting." Harry sat down on his own bed.

"Unless that someone has had no contact with any of your history, politics, science, society, or economics."

Harry looked at him for a moment, then signed heavily. "You can't stay in here. We can't explain how you ended up here. And we don't know how to send you back. Nothing in my life is easy."

"It could be worse," Artemis replied. "It could be trolls."

"Or Blast-Ended Skrewts," he said absently. His eyes fell on his trunk at the foot of his bed. It gave him an idea. "The cloak." He quickly dug it out and presented it to Artemis. "You can wear the cloak around school."

Artemis stood up and examined the material. "What is it?"

"It's an Invisibility Cloak. You can wear it and no one will notice you."

Artemis let the strange fabric run through his fingers. "Fascinating. There are more tricks up your sleeve than I first thought. Where did you get it?"

"My dad left it to me. I inherited a few years ago."

"He died?"

"Yeah. My mum too. They were killed when I was a baby." Harry was surprised to find that it wasn't as hard to talk about it as he though it would be. "I never knew them."

Artemis was silent for a moment. "My father went missing for several years. Everyone thought he was dead, killed by the Russian Mafia. But we discovered he was alive, and we managed to rescue him. He only lost a leg when the whole business was through."

"I guess you're not as cocky as I first thought, either," said Harry. Something occurred to him. "We?"

Artemis hardly blinked. "Yes," he replied. "My bodyguard and I, along with a hired team of retired CSIS agents."

"Right. Well, try it on. See if it works."

Artemis threw the cloak around him, instantly disappearing. "How do I look?" he asked with what Harry swore was a trace of a grin.

"Invisible. It'll do for now. You can stay in the common room until we can figure something out."

"I could go anywhere with this," came Artemis's voice from Harry's left.

"Don't get any funny ideas. I have ways of keeping track of you." He reached into his trunk again and grabbed the Marauder's Map. "Another gift from my father." He pointed his wand at it and said, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." The outlines of the castle etched themselves on to the parchment. In one corner there were two dots marked _Harry Potter _and_ Artemis Fowl._

Harry felt Artemis move behind him to look at the map. "You can see anyone on this map?"

"Anyone," Harry answered, rather proud. "Mischief managed." The lines disappeared.

"I can see that all this will take some time getting used to. It is fairly overwhelming."

"That's how I first felt, too," said Harry before he caught himself. What was he doing? He shouldn't trust him!

"Really? You didn't grow up with all this around you?" Artemis slipped off the cloak and sat on Dean's bed again.

"No, I lived at my aunt and uncle's place until I got the letter."

"Which letter?"

Harry paused for a minute, wondering how much he should reveal. Finally he decided that it couldn't hurt to explain his history. Artemis was probably the only person he had met that didn't gawk at his scar or mention how much he looked like his father.

"I guess I should start at the beginning. Settle in. This is going to take awhile."

**A bit more introspection from both of them. Let me know if you think they are too much out of character. And don't worry, this won't lead to some sort of long-lost brother scenario, or that they were switched at birth, or something ridiculous like that. I'm sure there are very nice fics concerning situations just like that, but this isn't one of them. Well, anyway. If you push that little blue button down there, I promise you a cookie. **

**Bonus: 50 points to anyone who can tell me what CSIS is.**


	3. Chapter 3: A Little Uplifting

**Strange friends with tea cozys– chaos theory and biscuits – silent student – a little windswept – a reminder of death – suspicions are revealed**

Artemis woke up stiff and sore. He had slept in an armchair wrapped in the Invisibility Cloak, and it was not the most comfortable of places. He started to get up when he heard something behind him. He froze, then turned slowly to see Hermione gathering up her parchment from last night. He relaxed, and stood up, pulling the cloak off him.

"Morning," she said, not the least bit surprised to see him. "Hungry? Everyone's already left for breakfast, but I can have Dobby bring something up for you."

At the mention of food, Artemis realized he hadn't eaten since early yesterday. "Thank you, that would be wonderful. Who is Dobby?"

"A friend," she answered cryptically. She slipped out the portrait hole, leaving Artemis alone.

"And will I recognize this friend?" he wondered aloud. He walked to the window, and looked over the grounds. The Whomping Willow, the Herbology greenhouses, the Quidditch pitch. The unfamiliar words seemed to echo around his mind. He mulled over what Harry had told him last night. Absently he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to neaten it while he thought. A whole war taking place, unaware to anybody. And apparently not over yet. It was amazing.

Harry had left nothing out, either of his own experiences or what the rest of the wizarding community's opinions were. As he was talking, Artemis realized something very important. He had underestimated Harry. Not something that happened often, if at all.

Of course, it was expected that Artemis would also share his life story. In a way, he did. It was just the edited version. The secret of Haven was too precious to him to share it with anybody.

He heard the portrait hole open behind him. He turned around to see Hermione burdened with a tray covered in food. There was a strange creature hiding behind her calves, also carrying food.

"Didn't know what you liked, so we brought one of everything," she said as she placed the tray on a table. She indicated the figure behind her. "This is Dobby. He's a house elf."

Artemis stared down at the ugly pathetic thing in front of him. "Excuse me, a house _elf?_" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah, they work here in the kitchens."

"It's wearing a tea cozy," said Artemis tonelessly, still not quite believing what he was seeing.

"Um, yes, he is. They have a thing about clothes," replied Hermione.

"I is very happy with my tea cozy, sir, and my socks." The thing lifted up a foot for inspection, showing mismatched socks that were several sizes too large.

"Very…nice," Artemis said lamely.

That seemed to satisfy it, for it rushed off, bid good-bye to Hermione, and vanished.

"That was an elf?" asked Artemis.

"A house elf, yes. You get used to them after a while."

"Harry told me about one that continually injured him in order to help him. Was that…" He waved his hand vaguely in the direction the elf disappeared.

"The same one? It was Dobby, alright. No end of mischief he caused. He's also the only house elf I've met who will accept pay." She began unloading plates on to the table.

Artemis gazed at the huge spread laid before him. There was the traditional English breakfast, along with a pitcher of what he assumed was pumpkin juice, but there were several dishes he didn't recognize. Plates of meat, fruits, sweets, pastries, and breads littered the table. He was normally rather reserved when it came to his eating habits, but when he felt the hunger pains in his stomach, he immediately tucked in. He heard Hermione laugh, but strangely didn't mind.

"I have to go to class soon, but I'll show you the library if you want," Hermione offered.

Artemis stopped and looked at her. The thought of more information was tempting. "Yes. I would like that. Thank you."

She smiled and sat opposite him, pulling a plate of biscuits towards her.

"Won't Ron mind you dining with me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ron minds a lot of things," she said simply. Artemis left it at that.

After a while Hermione spoke. "You shouldn't think badly of them. Ron and Harry, I mean. What with everything that's happened already, they're right to be suspicious of strange people suddenly showing up on the doorstep. It would make anyone nervous," she finished quietly.

"You are very loyal to them. I admire that."

"It's just with all the Death Eaters running around, it's hard to be trustworthy of anyone."

"I understand, Hermione. Harry told me all about Voldemort and his minions last night," Artemis reassured her. "You have nothing to fear from me."

"Harry's trust has already been betrayed, several times. Forgive us if we don't welcome you with open arms."

Artemis smiled. "If how I've been treated so far is with mistrust, I wonder how you treat your close friends," he said, gesturing to the table full of food.

Hermione also smiled. "You're a unique Muggle, Artemis Fowl."

"Of course," Artemis said with a mock bow.

"It's funny, you know, how people can surprise you. I mean, the most predicable person, someone who follows routine everyday of his life, can suddenly do something completely unexpected. Or someone who prides themselves on being entirely unpredictable, you can always tell what they're going to do next," Hermione said.

"Chaos theory," Artemis murmured.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Just a theory we have. The butterfly effect and so on."

"It sounds familiar. My parents are Muggles, so I probably heard it at home." There was another pause before Hermione stood up and said, "Right. If you're finished I'll show you the library."

"Excellent," Artemis replied, also standing up.

"You'll have to wear the cloak, I'm afraid."

"I assure you, I have been much worse situations. A few hours under a cloak will do me no harm."

Artemis had only just thrown the cloak over himself when Ron came bursting through the portrait hole.

"What're you still doing up here? Transfiguration starts in five minutes!" He stopped and looked around. "Where's the Malfoy Twin? You didn't let him run round the castle, did you? Oh, how could you, Hermione? Who knows what he's doing? Why do you trust people so much?"

"Ronald Weasley," Hermione interrupted with a menacing tone, "do you honestly think I am as stupid as that? Artemis is right here beside me under the cloak. I was just taking him to the library. How much harm can he do there, huh?" She started to move past him when she stopped and added, "And next time, before you accuse me of something, just remember that I'm better at hexes than you."

As Artemis passed the red-faced Ron, he whispered, "Aren't you the lucky one?"

Out in the corridor, Artemis followed Hermione as quietly as possible. When they were alone, he asked her, "Hermione, would it be possible for me to observe a classroom instead? It would be a unique experience."

Hermione sighed dramatically and replied, "If I said no, would it stop you?"

Artemis thought for a moment. "No, probably not."

"Then I won't say no. Come on, follow me."

* * *

Artemis spent the rest of the day following Hermione around from class to class. While most people would have been bewildered at the amount of jargon flying around, Artemis had picked up enough from the textbooks to have a relatively firm grasp on many of the subjects discussed. Finally Hermione took him out to the Quidditch pitch. Harry was practising on his own while Ron watched from the stands, finishing homework.

"Not going to ask if I've kept Artemis on a leash all day?" Hermione asked him archly.

Ron grinned. "Nope," he said, "I've been keeping an eye on him myself." He held up the Marauder's Map. "Hello, Artemis. How was your day at school?" he said in Artemis's general direction.

"Intriguing. Are we alone? I would like to remove this cloak. After six hours the novelty begins to wear off."

Glancing at the map, Ron said, "You're clear."

Artemis pulled the cloak off, and breathed in the fresh air. He didn't realize how warm and uncomfortable it got under it. He looked up to see Harry on a broomstick, flying around the golden hoops at the opposite end of the pitch. It was like watching a hawk hunt after a mouse, Artemis decided. Harry would circle for a few moments, then dive and twist in the air until he caught his prey, then repeat the process.

Harry saw them and came in a sweeping dive to land in front of the group.

"What do you need all this practise for, fly-boy? You're already the best flyer out there," teased Hermione.

"Who knows when the ability to catch a piece of gold out of mid-air will come in handy?" Harry teased back.

Artemis's attention was piqued at the mention of gold. "What sort of gold?" he asked.

Harry opened his hand to reveal a small fluttering golden ball. "The Golden Snitch. Wins the game. My job is to catch it," he said simply.

"You look like an excellent flyer, although I have little experience in judging such things," Artemis said, peering at Harry's broom. Unseen by him, Harry turned to the others and winked.

"Would you, uh, you know, like to go for a ride?" he asked casually.

Artemis picked up his tone of voice, but his curiosity overruled. Harry showed him how the mount the broom, then climbed in front. Harry turned back to him, grinning wickedly, and said, "Hang on." Artemis quickly realized that he was in trouble. Deep trouble.

He just had enough time to grab Harry's waist when they took off. The ground dropped away sickeningly. They climbed upwards, going 30…50…80 feet in the air. Unfortunately for Artemis, Harry was in a mood in show off his talent. They left the pitch and spiralled towards the castle. Harry dodged turrets and statues, twisted through the branches of the Whomping Willow, and pushed their speed to the limit. He performed barrel rolls, hairpin turns, and skimmed over the surface of the lake. Eventually Artemis saw that they were heading back to the pitch.

As they flew, Artemis could only think of how incredible this felt. He had flown with Holly before, of course, but never like this. This felt far more natural, more organic. They stopped to hover over the pitch, roughly a hundred feet up, Artemis guessed. He could see over all the grounds. The panorama was spectacular. He saw Harry mouth something but the words were ripped away by the wind. It seemed like 'wonky faint', but that didn't make any sense.

Suddenly they were caught in a free-fall towards the ground. The ground rushed to meet them, and they rushed right back. Artemis's eyes were streaming from the wind, but he could still calculate the rate they were falling at. They would hit the ground in twelve seconds. The wind dragged at his limbs and robes, threatening to pull him off. Eight seconds. Artemis looked from the incoming impact to Harry, expecting him to pull out soon. He could hear the blood pounding in his temples. Three seconds. Moments before impact, Harry pulled up sharply to drift calmly before Ron and Hermione. Artemis tried to dismount the broom with some dignity intact, but failed utterly as his legs gave out and he collapsed on his back in the grass, panting.

Harry smirked down at him and said, "Wait until you see me in a _real_ game."

Artemis couldn't say anything as he waited for the effects of the adrenaline the leave his body. He heard Hermione scold Harry, and Ron congratulate him. From his vantage point he saw something dark wheeling above them. He sat up and asked, "Harry, two questions. What is that, and is it a threat?" He pointed at the sky.

The others looked up. Only Harry reacted. "It's a Thestral. A type of flying horse. You can only see it under special circumstances," he answered in a hard voice.

"And what circumstances are those?" Artemis asked, standing up. Harry turned to him.

"You need to see someone die." His eyes were as hard as his voice. "That's why Ron and Hermione can't see them."

Artemis recalled their conversation from last night. "Cedric Diggory, right?"

Harry nodded. "You never told me who you saw…never mind, I shouldn't ask."

Artemis thought for a moment. Who _had_ he seen die? Surely something as traumatic as that would stick in his memory. He almost shuddered when he remembered. Butler. He had seen Butler die. It had been reversed, but apparently, death was death.

"There were complications in Russia," he said without emotion.

A rustling of feathers startled him. A large snowy owl had flown in to land on Harry's shoulder, clutching something in its talons.

"Hello, Hedwig," Harry said, stroking the bird. Seeing Artemis staring, he explained. "We use owls to deliver mail. They're very dependable. Now, let's see what we have here."

He pulled out the object and unrolled it. It was a newspaper, and Artemis saw that the front page photographs were moving. It appeared that a great number of robed people were standing in front of a smouldering house.

"There was another Death Eater attack, not to far from here. A few people injured, but no one killed. No one was captured either, but they think it was Bellatrix Lestrange," Harry read aloud.

"Anyone we know?" asked Ron, referring to the victims.

"No. It was an empty house. That's strange…"

"What?" insisted Hermione.

"There were dozens of houses with people living in them nearby, but she only destroyed that one. Why?"

"To send a message, perhaps?" Hermione suggested.

"Maybe," Harry said thoughtfully. He glanced at Artemis, who was listening intently. "But to who?"

"To whom," Artemis corrected automatically.

"Maybe we should get back up to the castle, eh? It's, uh, getting a little chilly out here," Ron said. The excuse was obvious, but the others agreed.

* * *

Artemis was back in the common room reading the newspaper. They decided that until they had a good cover story for Artemis's presence, he should stay out of sight as much as possible, so they had Dobby bring up another tray full of food from dinner. He had the cloak close at hand in case he heard anyone coming along the corridor. He felt a bit foolish throwing it over himself every time he heard a strange noise, but he knew it was necessary.

He was obliged to wrap the cloak around himself yet again when he heard footsteps approaching. When he saw Harry step through the portrait hole, he tossed it to one side.

"Still here, are you?" Harry asked.

"I have very limited options as to where I go anyway, so, yes, I am still here," Artemis answered smoothly.

Harry walked slowly across the common room. Artemis watched him out of the corner of his eye. Everything in Harry's bearing made it plain that something was troubling him. Troubled people were unpredictable.

Harry walked until he was behind Artemis. He stood in front of the fireplace, staring at the flames.

"I don't think I fully trust you, Artemis," he said coolly.

Artemis shifted in his chair in order to look at Harry. "That seems to happen to me quite a lot. What of it?"

"I want to know why you are here. And you will tell me the truth."

Artemis was starting to become vaguely unsettled when he noticed that Harry had stepped closer to him. Alarms went off. Something was wrong.

"You already know everything about me, Harry. I can't tell you anything else."

It happened so fast that Artemis almost didn't feel Harry grab the front of his robes. He was thrown to the floor, and then had the wind knocked out of him as Harry pinned him down. He tried to struggle but stopped instantly as he saw Harry's wand pointed between his eyes. He could only glare angrily.

"You will tell me the truth!" Harry repeated forcefully. "Why are you here?"

"I was brought here by a wayward spell that you performed. I have no magic of any kind, and I don't wish to do harm to either you or your friends," Artemis replied as calmly and as convincingly as possible.

Green eyes probed his own for any trace of a lie. At length Harry removed his wand, but continued to hold the weaker boy down.

"If I find that I have any reason to doubt you," he threatened, "I will find the most painful way possible to get the truth from you."

"Then it's a good thing you have no reason to doubt me."

Without another word, Harry stood up and stalked out of the common room. Artemis climbed up slowly, feeling bruises start to form where Harry's knees had been.

_It's good that I'm sure-footed,_ he thought, _because I'm walking through a minefield._

**Allies? Enemies? Will they ever make up their minds? Thanks for reviewing, but why so many anonymous? I hope you're not ashamed. **

**Bonus: for 25 points find the cookies.**

**50 points to Linwen for correctly telling us that CSIS was the Canadian** **Security Intelligence Service. It has been pointed out that Artemis would more likely have contacts a little closer to home, say MI6 or such. But I am a true-born Canadian, so any mention I can insert about it I will. So there.**


	4. Chapter 4: A Turn for the Worse

**Let us compare mythologies – fifteenth century fire-eaters – a lesson in manners – ****Éire**** Óir ****Cladach**** – mornings with Myrtle – close encounters – B. L.**

Harry marched down the corridor, still angry. Maybe he had overreacted, but he needed to be sure about Artemis. Spies had infiltrated Hogwarts before. All this was a little too neat for his liking. Artemis appears, and then there are Death Eater attacks close to home. Perhaps Lestrange's attack had been a message, as Hermione suggested. A message to Artemis? If he wasn't a Muggle, then he was a damn good actor.

He was fuming all the way back to the library. He found Hermione sitting in a secluded corner while Ron was off rummaging among the shelves. Hermione instantly saw that he was upset.

"Harry, what's wrong?" she said, putting aside her book. "You look like someone told you that you had double Potions all week."

"It's nothing," he replied gruffly. Hermione continued to stare at him.

"It's about Artemis, isn't it?" Harry looked up at her, surprised. "Well, you've been a bit unsure of him since he got here, and just now you said that you were going to the common room to fetch some ink, but you didn't bring any back. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out."

Harry relaxed a little, thankful he found a little understanding. "You're right, of course. It is about him. I just—I don't know what to think. We have no reason to suspect him of anything, but –"

"But you still don't trust him," finished Hermione. "No one blames you for being mistrustful, Harry, least of all me and Ron. Still, it shows something."

"What?"

"That you two are more alike than you realize."

"What!"

"Calm down, Harry, just listen. I'm not just talking about your physical appearance, although that's odd, too. I'm talking about your personalities, your characters."

"I don't believe this."

"Haven't you noticed it? From what you've told me about him and from what I've seen myself, at times you two could be the same person."

Absently he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to neaten it while he thought. "Okay, tell me what sort of similarities we have."

"The first thing is talent. He has a brilliant mind; you have brilliant flying skills and an amazing aptitude for offensive and defensive magic. You both have incredible potential."

"I'm not convinced."

"I'm not finished! You said that he admitted to being… involved with illegal activities, right?"

"He's a criminal, plain and simple. He just deals with art and bank accounts rather than corner stores and newsstands. Your point?"

"You both disregard the rules to achieve your goals. Although his goals seem to be accumulating wealth and you-"

"Try to rid the world of evil?"

"Stop interrupting!" she said, laughing. "You're both cautious of newcomers, and you wait to see if they will help or hinder you before dealing with them. You both have principles that you refuse to give up without a good cause. You're both rather stubborn, you're both proud, and," she sat back with a self-satisfied look on her face, "you both seem to know when to admit you're wrong, even if you don't want to."

Harry frowned. "I hate when you do that."

"Do what?"

"Make me feel thick and stupid for acting on impulse." He looked at her for moment, thinking. "Do you think we can trust him?"

"That's not for me to decide. You know what I think."

Ron came back and dropped a load of books on the table between them. "You'd think they would have more information on fifteenth century fire-eaters. This is all I could find. What about you?" he asked, looking at Harry.

He made a noise between a sigh and a growl. "I think I need more ink," he said, and left the library.

He returned to the common room to find it empty. At least, it appeared so. He glanced around and said to the empty air, "It's okay, Artemis. I won't…I won't hurt you, or anything."

"Glad to hear it." Artemis materialized sitting in the same chair he had been in before, looking calm and without a single rumple in his clothes. _He knows how to maintain his composure, I'll give him that, _thought Harry. He could see that although Artemis looked calm, his hands gripped the arm of the chair. Not tightly, but enough.

"I, uh, I wanted to-" He shifted awkwardly, and could feel his face growing hot. Artemis remained staring at him as cold as a glacier. "I wanted to apologize," Harry finally blurted. "I shouldn't have thought you were involved with the attack."

Artemis crossed his legs and tented his fingers together, the picture of final judgement. "While I have done nothing to earn your trust, I have also done nothing to earn your mistrust either. You wrongly connected me to an unfortunate incident concerning one of your enemies, simply because I was here, a scapegoat, if you will. If I were any other human being, I would be deeply offended, but since I am _not_ every other human being I am willing to accept your apology on the grounds that you do not accuse me further of crimes I did not commit. Do we have an understanding?"

Harry mentally reeled against the flood of words. Artemis's tone was so measured and emotionless that he almost didn't believe that Artemis had forgiven him. But he managed to stumble out a 'sure' and turned to leave.

"Harry?" He looked back. Artemis had not moved, but his tone had softened slightly. Like how a stone can soften into gravel. "I do not delude myself into thinking we will ever feel like we can be friends, but I hope we can at least trust each other. I think we both have sufficient enemies at the moment; we don't need any more."

Harry didn't say anything, but nodded and left.

* * *

Harry didn't see Artemis again that night, but he was sure that Artemis had seen him. He wasn't overly worried; he still had the Marauder's Map to rely on. Artemis hadn't left the common room. He came down the next morning to find Artemis trying to convince Hermione into letting him go outside in order to bathe.

"Hermione, I have been here three days now. I have hiked over the Scottish countryside, I have followed you around wearing a very warm and uncomfortable cloak, and I have slept in the same clothes since Thursday. I need a bath. I need to have soap and water touch my skin long enough for me to feel like I am actually paying attention to my personal hygiene."

"I don't want to risk someone seeing you, Artemis. How would we explain it?"

"I could don the cloak once more so one of you can show me the way to suitable facilities. I assume there are private baths."

"Yes, but-"

"So glad you agree. Now, which of you would care to guide me?" He looked from Hermione, looking exasperated, to Harry, still on the stairs, to Ron, who looked faintly disgusted at the idea.

Harry sighed as he realized he was going to have to be the guide. Hermione was too much of a prude to risk being seen in a boys' bathroom, and Ron would most likely leave him with Moaning Myrtle. Or worse. "I'll do it," he said, letting his irritation show through. Artemis merely smiled. As he reached for the Invisibility Cloak, Harry said, "Don't bother. Nobody hangs around the hallways on a weekend, and we won't be going far."

Artemis followed him silently as they walked through the castle. Harry, still groggy with sleep, didn't notice the footsteps coming towards them until it was too late. As they turned a corner, Harry ran right into Neville.

"Oh, sorry, Harry. Didn't see you coming. What're you doing? Hey, who's this?"

Harry turned back to Artemis, who was looking at him with the same expectancy as Neville.

"Oh, this is Artemis. He's my…cousin," Harry said, not quite sure where he was going with this. "Distant cousin. Father's side. He's Irish. Came over for a holiday, a break from school, you know. Won't be staying long, so I'm showing him the castle." Yeah, that sounded decent.

"Wow, you look exactly alike," said Neville, peering at Artemis. "Which school do you go to?" he asked.

Harry's brain was too slow with an answer to that one, so Artemis spoke up. "Are you familiar with Irish schools of magic?" he asked.

"No, I'm not," Neville replied, looking apologetic.

"Then I'm from Éire Óir Cladach. It's Gaelic for 'Ireland's golden shore.'"

"Oh, wow. That's quite a mouthful, isn't it? Well, I'll see you later, eh, Harry?" He walked off.

"Yeah, later," muttered Harry, still dazed.

"Good work, Harry. You sounded almost believable," Artemis said sardonically.

Harry scowled at him. "Do you want a bath or not? Because I can get Peeves up here to give you one of his famous showers if you'd like."

Artemis extended a hand and said, "Lead on."

After a few minutes Harry said, "I didn't know you knew Gaelic."

"I don't. All I know how to say is that and 'When is the next bus,'" Artemis answered.

Harry snorted in spite of himself. "You actually can't do something? I find that hard to believe."

"Unfortunately, I am only human." They remained in silence for the rest of the trip, and thankfully didn't see anyone else. Eventually they stopped in front of a still-life fruit painting.

"Right," said Harry, tickling the pear, "this is the prefect's bathroom. Everything you need is in there. No one will hear you, and no one else can get in once you're inside. Don't worry about the robes; I'll have Dobby bring up more that you can wear. Got it?"

Artemis nodded and walked through the now-open door without a second glance.

"And make sure there aren't any unwanted guests in there with you," he called, remembering Myrtle's intrusion last year. He closed the door on Artemis's slightly bemused face, and started down to the kitchens to look for Dobby.

It was nearly an hour before Artemis emerged from the bathroom, looking scrubbed and wearing new robes. Harry looked up as he heard the door open; he was sitting in the corridor doing Charms homework, waiting for Artemis.

"Merlin, about time. I was beginning to think you had drowned in there," he complained. As he stood up he realized how stiff he was from slouching against the wall.

"Your concern is appreciated, Harry," Artemis said with a cold smile. "But you might have warned me about the ghost that apparently resides in there."

Harry grinned. "Oh, you met Myrtle, did you? What do you think of her? She actually died a few floors up in a girls' toilet. Would you like to see her again?"

"No, I would rather prefer to avoid another encounter, thank you. May we return to the common room? I feel very exposed down here."

"Fine. But I'll check things out first, so we don't have another incident like this morning with Neville."

"You don't have the map?"

"Er, no. I forgot it."

Artemis rolled his eyes, but said nothing. They started back to the common room, but now Harry would jog ahead and peer around corners to make sure the coast was clear. He felt like he was in a bad Muggle spy movie, and Artemis obviously disapproved. It was working well until they were separated by a particularly long stretch of corridor. Harry signalled that it was safe, and Artemis started towards him. Suddenly Harry heard voices, but couldn't see anyone coming. Confused, he looked back to see a previously unnoticed door open just as Artemis was passing.

It seemed to happen in slow motion. There was nothing Harry could do about it. _Not again,_ he thought. Artemis also realised too late what was happening, and tried to dodge behind the door. An all-too-familiar blonde head had appeared, flanked by two large wall-like people. Artemis was too slow, and both he and Malfoy tumbled to the ground in a heap of curses.

"Watch it, Potter! Honestly, do you think you own the hallways?" He untangled himself and stood over Artemis, not yet noticing who exactly he was talking to. Crabbe and Goyle snickered obligingly. Malfoy apparently had little time to chat, for the trio walked off in the opposite direction. Harry could still hear him talking loudly about how much things have deteriorated since his father's day. Harry relaxed, letting himself breath again.

He walked over to Artemis, who was already upright with a very Malfoy-like look of disdain on his face. "And who was that charming character?" he asked, his voice dripping with contempt.

Harry half-smiled. "Anyone who doesn't like Draco Malfoy can't be all bad."

They made it back to the common room without meeting anyone else. It was a warm day outside so everybody was either on the grounds or at Hogsmeade. The common room remained empty for the rest of the afternoon, allowing Artemis to have a bit more freedom. Although it still required at least one of them to in the room with him at all times in case something unexpected happened. The sun was sinking towards the horizon before Harry began thinking about hiding Artemis again. He was playing a game of wizard chess against Ron, while Harry watched. Artemis was winning, of course, but the miniature figures that continuously yelled instructions seemed to throw him off a little. To be fair, Ron was putting up a good fight, but every time one of his pieces was taken, his scowl would deepen a little.

By the time the first people had returned to the common room, Artemis was already hidden under the cloak in an out-of-the-way corner. Harry was pretending to read while guarding Artemis, not so much to make sure he didn't escape, but to keep other people from stumbling over him.

He listened to gossip and news people had picked up from Hogsmeade. More Death Eater attacks, in greater numbers, more sightings. It was the same everyday. But one thing caught his attention; the largest number of Death Eaters yet had been seen outside Manchester. Most of the Aurors had been called to deal with it, as well as several other powerful wizards. Like Dumbledore. _Of course,_ thought Harry, _This will be right about the time that something goes wrong. As soon as he's needed, he disappears._

He jumped when an owl suddenly flew in the window beside him. He didn't recognise it, and it looked thin and scruffy. It landed next to him and presented a small scrap of parchment. Harry took it, expecting something from Sirius.

What he saw when he opened it made him stop dead. It wasn't from Sirius. It was a short note addressed to him. He read it several times, just to make sure he was seeing it correctly.

_Dear Boy-Who-Lived,_

_I have him with me. I wonder how strong his mind is. His parents lasted almost a week, but I bet he won't last an hour. Come and find him if you can._

_B. L._

Someone was missing, captured. But who? Harry looked frantically around the common room, trying to see if someone wasn't there. Nothing seemed wrong. Everyone was talking, laughing, joking. Maybe it didn't mean anything, maybe it was just a prank. But then he heard it. It made his blood freeze.

"Hey! Anyone seen Neville? He hasn't been around all day. Anyone see where he went?"

Harry was having trouble breathing. All his muscles seemed to have locked up. "No, no," was all he could say.

**Will Artemis help? Will they even allow him to help? I apologize if the Gaelic isn't spot-on. Translators are hard to come by. I also apologize for the Malfoy scene. Weak, but necessary.**

**Bonus: 40 points to the person who can tell me which sentence was repeated word-for-word from the last chapter.**

**25 points to Linwen again for finding the cookies in the plate of biscuits Hermione had. Up to 75 points now.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Plan Cometh

**Mixed signals – eavesdropping – unwanted help – stubborn acceptance – the second note – a character study – a shot in the dark – the worst plan**

Artemis was trying unsuccessfully to get a signal from his cell phone. He wanted to get in touch with Butler to tell him where he was, but all he got was static. _Must be interference from the magical aura_, he thought. He jumped slightly as an owl flew in through the window. It was difficult getting used to the owls; he likened them to carrier pigeons, and thought them a rather inefficient and old-fashioned form of postal service. Then again, these people still used quills and parchment to write. For all their magic and power, they were amazingly backwards.

He mused over the possibility of sending a message to Butler using an owl. He allowed himself a small smile at the thought of Butler's reaction as he turned to ask Harry about it. He stopped when saw his expression. Harry had gone dead white. He was looking frantically around the room, and his hands were shaking badly. His breath came in short gasps, and Artemis could hear him muttering "No, no," over and over again.

Wondering what could cause such an effect, Artemis looked at the piece of parchment Harry was grasping. The short note was cryptic, but Harry obviously connected it to something important. He was trying to think of where he had heard a name with the initials B. L. before when Harry jumped up and grabbed Ron and Hermione from the other side of the room. Without a word he dragged them roughly back over to the chair, and silently showed them the note.

"What is this, mate? Who sent it?" asked Ron.

"Neville's missing," Harry said brokenly.

The other two reacted much the same way Harry had. Both stared at him, disbelieving, as this information sunk in. Hermione sank into the chair.

"But I saw him, just this morning," she said faintly. "How-how would she get him?"

"I don't know, maybe she just Stunned him while he was walking across the grounds, it could have been anything," Harry replied distractedly.

"And Dumbledore's gone with the Ministry," Ron said grimly. "Couldn't have timed it better."

Harry suddenly seemed to be aware of himself again. Glancing around, he said in a low voice, "We shouldn't talk about it here. Might cause a, a panic, or something. Let's go upstairs."

As they turned to leave, Artemis made a quick decision. He was intrigued by this new development, and wanted to know more. There was a mystery to solve. How could he resist? Still wearing the cloak, he followed them up and quietly stood in a corner.

He listened to their banter for perhaps ten minutes before he felt compelled to put an end to it. Artemis knew how it felt to have someone close to you suddenly be in danger, but at least he didn't lose his head over it. He thought out all the knowns and unknowns, all the strengths and weaknesses of each plan, and then worked with what he had.

These three weren't planning; they were wavering. They were too emotionally close to the situation to think of solutions. They were doubting themselves too much, and missing obvious points. He had already deduced that Bellatrix Lestrange had kidnapped Neville, was most likely holding him somewhere nearby, would probably torture him, and wanted Harry to come to the rescue. He felt he should say something, if only to point out their flaws. In the midst of yet another argument between Ron and Hermione, he dramatically swept the cloak off him and stepped forward, saying, "If I can be of any service to you concerning this kidnapping, I would gladly give it, if only to cease this relentless tide of nonsense that you mistake for thought."

As soon as he spoke, Ron, who was nearest, simultaneously jumped back and pulled out his wand in surprise. Unfortunately, his momentum carried him straight off the other side of the bed he was sitting on. Harry and Hermione also had their wands out pointing at Artemis, but with a little more dignity than Ron had managed.

"Merlin, Artemis, don't startle us like that. We could've Stunned you into next week," Hermione said. "We're on edge as it is."

"Yes, I know about Neville. I am merely offering my assistance on this subject."

"We don't need your help," said Harry firmly.

"Perhaps. But from what I've gathered from your conversation, you don't have the slightest idea where to begin. I can at least help you devise a plan of attack."

"I'm sure you've had loads of experience with deranged, homicidal kidnappers," Ron said sarcastically.

Artemis displayed his vampire smile. "Why, yes, I have."

"I don't want you mixed up in this," Harry said vehemently.

"Still mistake me for a spy? I thought you would have changed your mind about me." Artemis was a little irked by how difficult it was to convince them. Usually people would let him to be involved without putting up much of a fight. Admittedly, sometimes it was only grudgingly or with the persuasion of Butler's bulk.

"It's not about that," said Harry, shaking his head. "You would just get in the way."

"You're a Muggle," Ron said bluntly. "You would only be a hindrance. Or a target," He turned to the others. "C'mon. The Room of Requirement has more privacy. No one to listen in." He shot a glare at Artemis before walking swiftly out of the room.

Artemis continued to argue his case. "I don't need to accompany you. I won't even leave the castle. I can just help you prepare. All I need are details."

"No. This is not your concern," Harry said with a tone of finality. He followed Ron out the door.

Artemis then appealed to the voice of reason, Hermione. "You know you need my help, Hermione. Just trust me." She only shook her head and started to leave. In desperation, Artemis grabbed her wrist to stop her, perhaps not the smartest thing to do with a trigger-happy witch. "Just trust me," he repeated.

"Let go, Artemis," she said coldly, but then sighed slightly. "Ron's right; you're just a Muggle. What can you do?" She left.

Artemis stood there, in a state resembling frustration. He had never "just" been anything. He wanted to say something like "Don't underestimate me," but quick comebacks were not high priority at the moment. He couldn't remember the last time someone had spoken to him the way these three had, dismissive and condescending. Except perhaps Holly. And Mulch. And Root. But no _human_ ever had. Well, maybe Juliet. Anyway, it didn't happen often.

Artemis thought over the last few minutes in a rare moment of indecisiveness. If half of what Harry had told him was true, then they were more than capable of handling themselves. He certainly didn't owe them anything. Why was it so important that he help them? Unconsciously he fingered the small gold medallion hidden under his robes. Kidnappers were dangerous. They needed to feel like they were in control at all times, or the entire situation would disintegrate into chaos. Artemis already had a few experiences with kidnappers, none of which he wished to repeat. If Harry and the others went in with only an obscure idea of what they were facing, they could be killed. Artemis's mind ticked away, trying to find a way out of this.

After only a few seconds, he picked up the Invisibility Cloak, muttering something no one would ever hear him say in public. "Bugger."

* * *

Artemis managed his way out of the common room and stalked down the hallway. He didn't think he was more than half a minute behind them; he could easily calculate their likely route. _Or I could just ask one of the portraits,_ he thought as he listened to their soft snoring.

Fortunately, he didn't have to. At the first intersection he found Harry leaning against the wall, the Marauder's Map in hand.

"Good night for a stroll, eh?" he asked casually.

Not bothering to remove the cloak, Artemis got straight to the point. "You need my help, and you know it. I've dealt with abductors before."

"And we've dealt with Death Eaters before. What can you offer us?"

Other than intellect, not much. It suddenly hit Artemis that he had very few resources here. No technology, no wealth, no contacts. He didn't let that show through as he exploited their own lack of knowledge.

"Well, first of all, do you even know where Lestrange is? I've seen the map; it only has the castle grounds on it, nothing beyond that. How will you find her?"

"There are tracking spells Hermione can find-"

"But you don't know for sure," Artemis countered. "Forgive me if I don't trust what you don't have."

Harry twirled his wand absently, looking impassive. "You're clever, like Hermione. You can strategize, like Ron. And you're a right stubborn git, like me." Harry looked up at Artemis's invisible form. "I guess we'd be quite a stupid lot for not accepting help wherever we can get it."

Artemis relaxed slightly. "So you will tolerate my services?"

"You'd better follow me." Harry led the way through the maze of hallways with Artemis behind, the same way they had that morning. Artemis once again had to redefine his opinion of Harry. His demeanour had changed drastically. He had gone from a moody adolescent to a commanding general. The various traumas and dangers he had faced over the years had forced him to grow up fast. Artemis could sympathize.

By the time they reached the Room of Requirement, Artemis already had thought of seven plans and rejected four. The main point he needed to know was where Lestrange actually was hiding. If the environment changed, so did the plan. If someone was in a building, the variables involved were vastly different than if they were in the woods. They didn't have an immediate way of finding her, and they didn't have time to stake out possible areas. Artemis hated working with deadlines. More things could go wrong when he was under pressure.

His calculations were interrupted by the sounds of commotion coming from behind a hidden door they had stopped in front of. "What was that?" he asked, taking off the cloak so he could hear better.

"I don't know," answered Harry. "But it sounds bad." He quickly moved through the door, only to have a hysterical Hermione fall sobbing into his arms.

"Harry, sh-she's killed – we're too late, we were w-waiting for you, and th-this owl flies at us, and-and it said-it said that – she didn't give us enough time to – why-" She broke off and buried her face in Harry's sleeve.

"Ron? What happened?" Harry asked, although he looked like he already knew the answer. Ron was stricken as he spoke.

"An owl came and dropped this just a few seconds ago. It can't be true, though, it just can't." He held out another grubby piece of parchment, but didn't come any closer. Harry managed to transfer Hermione to Artemis, who took the load quite unexpectedly.

"Hermione," he said softly, not sure how to comfort her, "what's on the note?"

She pulled away and stared at him with accusing eyes. "He's dead! She killed him! She only gave us an hour and then she killed him! The hour wasn't even up yet! That, that bitch!" She dissolved in tears again and collapsed against Artemis, who patted her awkwardly on the back.

Harry suddenly appeared and relieved him of his burden. "Take a look at this. Guess those plans were for nothing." Harry was trying to remain calm, but the tremor in his voice betrayed him. He handed Artemis the note. It was even shorter than the first one.

_Your hour is up, Boy-Who-Lived. Come and fetch his worthless carcass._

_B. L._

_The Dark Lord Shall Live Forever_

"It's a lie," Artemis immediately said. Stunned silence followed this statement.

"How do you know?" Ron asked.

"A kidnapper wouldn't kill their hostage unless it was guaranteed they were going to get their ransom," Artemis explained. "In this case, Lestrange wants to make a trade. You are her target, Harry. She has captured someone close to you in order to draw you out. She wants to either capture you instead or kill you. This note is just to evoke panic and to prevent you from thinking clearly. She wants to toy with your minds, just like she's probably toying with Neville's mind, making him think that no rescue's coming."

As he spoke Artemis unwillingly recalled his own role as a kidnapper. He started to pace around the room to shake off the disconcerting feelings that went with the memories. He needed to think right now, not reminisce.

"You can't know that that's how she works," Ron argued. "She spent who knows how many years in Azkaban; she some toys in the attic, if you know what I mean."

"Even insane people can be predictable," Artemis said, smiling coldly once more.

Harry interrupted them. "So, you think we can still try to help him?"

"As I said before, all I need are details."

Hermione had regained her composure and shakily asked, "Where do you want to start?"

"Tell me about Lestrange. Her history, methods, everything."

Both Ron and Hermione turned towards Harry. He glanced between them and, drawing deep breath, started speaking. "Lestrange was one of Voldemort's most loyal followers. When he fell, she refused to renounce him and instead went to the wizard prison, Azkaban. She escaped from it recently. She was sent to Azkaban mainly for torturing Neville's parents. They were Aurors, dark wizard catchers. She cursed them so long they both lost their minds. They've never recovered."

"That would explain the first note," Artemis murmured. "What about her strengths?"

"She likes using the Cruciatus Curse for torture. She has a dangerous temper. She's fanatically loyal, and said herself that she's one of Voldemort's favourites."

"So she's willing to do anything for her master, she's sadistic, and she's volatile. Quite a picture you're painting. What are her weaknesses?"

There was a very pregnant pause as Harry looked to the others for help.

"She's completely mad," Ron offered.

Artemis turned to face him. "That's it?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, we don't exactly have Sunday tea together," Ron said defensively.

Ignoring him, Artemis brought his fingers to his lips in a gesture of contemplation. "But she is still human, and humans see what they want to see," he muttered softly.

"Should we tell the rest of the D.A. about this?" questioned Hermione.

"What is the D.A.?"

"It's sort of a resistance group," Harry explained, sounded a touch embarrassed, "made up of students. It stands for Dumbledore's Army."

"The fewer people involved, the less chance of something going wrong. I think it's best if it remains between the four of us," Artemis instructed. Ron opened his mouth to protest, but Harry silenced him with a look.

"We're trusting you, Artemis. You said you could help, and we'll hold you to that."

Artemis nodded, feeling the familiar weight of expectation settle over him. "What are our assets?"

"Well, there's the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map. Hermione's knowledge of spells, and you, I guess…" Harry trailed off. "Not doing very well, are we?"

"I've worked with less," Artemis said automatically. "What are our liabilities?"

Harry looked around the room once again, as if taking in all their meagre surroundings. Hermione answered for him. "There're only four of us, and…we're only kids against a well-trained and powerful witch."

Artemis looked at her and said with the barest hint of a smile, "As you and your friends have oft demonstrated, age is not a factor."

"This is all very nice and lovely, but I think we've forgotten the real issue, which is rescuing Neville before his brains are cursed out of his ears," interrupted Ron impatiently.

"God, Ron, you can be so insensitive sometimes!" cried Hermione, setting off another spat.

Used to this sort of thing, Harry had picked up Lestrange's note and was examining it closely. Artemis saw him, and peered over his shoulder. "What do you see?" he asked.

"I see more parchment than needed. Why use all this to say something this short?" Harry was right; below the writing was a blank space about five inches wide. "Something's up."

Artemis watched while Harry drew his wand and placed the tip on the empty area, like he had with the Map. But before he did anything, he sighed and said, "Why bother? I don't even know what to say. It would be impossible to find out."

Artemis read over the note several times, looking for hints. He knew that most codes were hidden within simple messages; the key was finding them. "Try saying 'the dark lord shall live forever.' It has no purpose in the note and it's capitalized. It's likely to work."

"Anything's worth a shot at this point." Harry followed the instructions and, to the obvious surprise of one and the well-hidden amazement of the other, a small green arrow appeared above a skull and snake symbol.

"It's a compass," breathed Harry as he slowly turned in a circle. The arrow continued to point towards the outside wall of the room.

"He could be anywhere! It could take days to find him!" Hermione's voice broke in on the discovery.

"Not with this," Harry said triumphantly, holding the note aloft. Artemis stayed back as the trio worked out the merits of this new development. So was Artemis, but in a different way. He was trying to put together the little he knew of Lestrange and what he had so far learned about the wizarding world itself. It was difficult, even for him. Unbidden, snatches of the conversation drifted through. The always-pessimist Ron was saying something rather loudly.

"And I suppose that Harry should walk right up and say 'Here I am, take me instead,' eh?"

Strangely, it was that single sentence that caused Artemis's brain to kick into overdrive. It seemed like the idea had always been in the back of his mind, but he had refused to accept it unless absolutely necessary. Memories sped by_…look like brothers…wants a trade…just a target…_He bent his head in resignation of the inevitable, just for a moment, then went into action.

He quickly grasped Ron's shoulders and once more flashed his vampire smile. He must have looked a bit maniacal as Ron was trying to escape, but Artemis said to him, "Ron, thanks to you, I have an idea. I would even go so far as to call you a genius, except I'm in the room." He released Ron, who rapidly backed away. He started pacing again and thinking out aloud. "It's a risky plan, only a 67 chance of success, but I think with the right manipulation, we can pull it off. We'll have to, because anything more complicated would take too much time."

"Mind telling us this wonderful plan?" Harry asked.

"In good time," said Artemis simply.

In truth, it had an even less chance of success than he had said, but it was the only possible option. It was one of the worst plans Artemis had created.

**Thanks to Wikipedia for everything on Lestrange. They know her better than J. K. herself.**

**There will be no, I repeat, NO appearance of fairies, LEP, or Holly in this fic. I have said that in every review reply, but now I am saying it to everyone. Artemis is on his own with this one. No elf or bodyguard to help him out. Let's see how he gets on without them, shall we?**

**Bonus: 75 points to tell me the name of the other mad yet predictable person Artemis has dealt with. HINT: she's female.**

**40 points to NinjAngel for being the first to find the repeated sentence, "Absently he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to neaten it while he thought." Watch out Linwen. You have competition. I am also proud of the many reviewers who have answered the question as well. Thanks for the participation!**


	6. Chapter 6: Like Lambs to the Slaughter

**Arctic thoughts – like lambs to the slaughter – confrontation – ta-da – a decent conversation – "little wizard" – the bait is released**

Harry led the way out of the castle, careful to keep the compass pointing straight ahead, and advanced up the road in the direction of Hogsmeade. The small arrow glowed faintly in the gloom. Behind him was Ron, followed by Hermione, and finally Artemis. The four remained silent, but Harry could almost feel the emotional chaos behind him. Hermione and Ron had thought that Neville was dead, and reacted with anger and disbelief. But a different emotion now plagued them. Hope. Harry knew that hope sometimes could be dangerous. It made you believe that things would turn out alright, happily ever after and all that. Some people thought that once you had no hope left, you were basically a corpse with a pulse. Being hopeless was the same as giving up.

But it wasn't like that, not really. Hope gave you courage, but hopelessness gave you determination. Once you had nothing left to lose, nothing could stop you. With hope came its counterpart, doubt. Harry tried to push back the thoughts that kept springing up in his mind like mushrooms. Maybe Artemis was wrong, maybe they were walking into a trap even now…

Harry shook his head, dispelling the tendrils of misgiving. He instead tried to remain focused on what Artemis had told them, or rather, what he _hadn't_ told them, which was quite a lot. He had insisted that they leave the castle immediately, but refused to divulge any details of his plan until they were close to Lestrange. The other three had tried to question him, but to no avail. This worried Harry. What did he have in mind that he couldn't tell? Doubt strengthened its hold.

For the past few days, they both had been trying to size each other up, but every time they thought they knew where they stood, the other would do something completely unexpected. It was not a good start to an alliance. In terms of metaphors, Artemis seemed to be like some sort of arctic wasteland. Cold, impenetrable, and deadly if you weren't careful. He knew Ron and Hermione almost as much as he knew himself, but Artemis was another matter.

Since leaving the castle, Harry had glanced back at him once or twice. His face bore an expression that Hermione wore every time she was wrestling with a difficult problem. If Harry truly didn't trust him, Artemis would be walking up front with a wand on him at every step. Against his better judgement, Harry did trust him, or at least his planning abilities. Artemis was trying to help. Any alliance, albeit an uneasy one, was better than nothing. That's what Harry kept telling himself.

"Where are we?" Artemis had stopped and was looking around.

"About ten minutes outside the town," answered Harry, secretly relieved the silence was broken.

"And where is the compass pointing?"

Harry glanced down at the parchment in his hand. "Er, a little bit…east, I think. Left anyway."

"What is east of us, if east it is?" Artemis's tone was starting to vaguely annoy Harry.

"Nothing but bush, more trees, and…and caves," Harry trailed off as he realized what he said.

Artemis, on the other hand, went on as if this was expected. "The addition of caves in the equation could pose a problem. If she is hiding in one, then we cannot surround her."

"It also means that she can blast us if we come too close," added Ron.

"Exactly. Are these caves noticeable to passers-by?"

"Erm," Harry tried to recall the actual location of the caves. "No. No, I don't think so."

"Then she would have to be familiar with the landscape in order to make use of them. Good."

"So, she's probably in the trees? I almost wish she was in a cave, at least we could trap her inside," Ron said bitterly.

"That would be the preferred situation; however, she has a hostage whom she can kill at any time," explained Artemis.

Hermione had been quiet until now. She still looked a little unnerved. "What do we do now?" she asked quietly.

A pause as heavy as lead filled the hollow around them. Artemis took a deep breath. The rest of the group held theirs. The feeling of expectation was almost tangible.

"Let's get off the road," Artemis said.

There was a general muttering and glancing around, like the other three had been entranced and suddenly had to return to reality. They shuffled off the road into the woods beyond. Artemis had a flair for drama, Harry realized. Drama was fine and well, but not when lives were at stake. He wondered what Artemis was playing at.

Harry took the lead again. The further they walked, the more obvious it became that the compass was pointing more to the woods than towards the caves. It didn't point straight to its destination like a normal compass. The path it traced was circuitous. _Lestrange wants to make sure we're in a certain spot,_ thought Harry. _We are walking into a trap._

He went back to point this out to Artemis and found him talking to Hermione about Transfiguration. He explained his theory to him, and Artemis agreed with it.

"Having a definite location for her makes it easier," Artemis thought aloud, "and we can manipulate that to our advantage. We should continue forward, but," he looked at the compass and surveyed the trees around him, "keep the arrow pointing to your right. We can approach her from an unexpected direction. Press on."

"No," Harry said quietly. Reluctant as he was to admit it, the others considered him the leader. Well, he was going to act like it now. "You need to explain to us what's going to happen."

He saw Artemis swiftly looked around him. Harry standing in front, Hermione to his left, and Ron behind him. His options were limited.

"We deserve to know how we're involved in this marvellous plan," Ron said, perhaps a little threateningly.

To his credit, Artemis remained cool. "There's really no need of this. I only need one other piece of information before my plan can take place. That is, how is Neville being held. Is he disguised? Can he move? Perhaps he is bound with ropes. Are they magical, or not? Once we know that, then I shall know how to proceed further."

Harry shook his head. "That's not good enough. Your plan can't change that much no matter how Neville is held." He stepped closer, an idea suddenly occurring to him. "You want to wait until we can't go back, don't you? Until we can't stop you." Artemis didn't answer.

They stood like that for several moments. Two boys, extremely alike yet worlds apart, eye to eye, neither backing down.

"When we find Lestrange," Artemis said firmly.

"We'll find her when we know what you're up to," replied Harry.

Hermione and Ron tried to subtly back away. Artemis finally broke the tension. "Fine. We walk, I'll talk. But I deeply regret having to do so." He stepped to the side and gestured to Harry to start walking again. Harry hesitated for just a second, then followed him. As he drew level, Artemis said just loud enough for him to hear, "I will only discuss this with you."

Harry sighed, suddenly too tired to argue. "Just start talking."

Artemis was silent for a minute, apparently deciding where to start. He made sure that Ron and Hermione were out of earshot. "There will be a decoy," he said abruptly. "While Lestrange is engaged, you can find and release Neville."

Harry stared at him, but had to look away as he stumbled over a root. "You are not seriously thinking of sending someone in for Lestrange to capture!" Harry hissed at him. "They'd be killed!"

"Not if it was someone who Lestrange needed to keep alive."

Harry eyed him. "I'm the one Lestrange wants. But it would be incredibly stupid to give me to her." Harry stopped talking and concentrated on picking a trail through the undergrowth. "You haven't mentioned your role in this scheme yet," he pointed out.

"No. I haven't."

Another pause. This one wasn't a pause of expectation or intimidation. It was one of realization.

"It's you, isn't it," Harry asked softly.

"Yes."

"But you can't do this! Once she finds out, she'll kill you," Harry said desperately.

"The likelihood had occurred to me," Artemis replied testily.

"I can't let do this. This isn't your fight. You're just someone who's been dragged into this. You don't need to help us."

"But I already have," Artemis interrupted, more annoyance than anger showing. "I am well aware that I don't need to do this, and believe me, I would much rather that it was you risking your life out there, but the situation being as it is, there is no other way. At least two of you will be needed to provide the defence, and if Neville is being held by magical means, that requires someone with magical ability to release him, which leaves me. I am not doing this out of bravado or a desire to be a hero; it is merely the only option left to us."

Harry was rendered speechless by this cool logic. They walked on, following the small path illuminated by Harry's wand. Artemis was right, of course. There was no alternative. Artemis looked enough like Harry that Lestrange wouldn't be able to tell the difference in the dark.

"So, why are you doing this? There has to be a reason," Harry asked finally.

"I've already told you why."

Harry persisted. "Yes, but a _real_ reason. No one risks their life for strangers simply because of logic."

Artemis relented. Slightly. His hand crept up to the neck of his robes for a second, then he let it drop. "Because it's the decent thing to do."

Artemis's tone was odd; it didn't match what he was saying. He sounded…well, put upon, like he was required to do this. Harry didn't question him any further. "If you're set on this, you'd better know what you're going up against. Not just Lestrange herself, but her curses. She can take control of your mind if she wants."

"Like being mesmerized," murmured Artemis.

"Exactly. It's called the Imperius curse. She can make you do whatever she wants, and it's hard to resist but not impossible. Then there's the Cruciatus curse, which does something very simple."

"What?" asked Artemis, a touch apprehensively.

"Pain. Pure, unceasing pain. Best to try and avoid that one."

"You sound like you speak from experience."

"I am."

Harry could feel Artemis shiver slightly beside him. "And then there's the killing curse, Avada Kedavra," he continued. "Kills instantly and without any marks. Also best to avoid."

"Duly noted." Harry glanced over at him again. He looked pale, but he always looked pale.

"Stop." Harry looked up, and saw a faint light ahead of them. Artemis had already stopped, and Hermione and Ron joined them.

Ron glared at the glow. "Lestrange," he growled.

"Let's set the stage for her, then," said Artemis. "I'm sure she could use a little entertainment."

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Harry muttered for the seventh time.

"Please stay quiet," Artemis said for the sixth. They were both behind a stand of trees, watching the clearing where Lestrange stood. As they were approaching it, they saw that Lestrange had cleared away a large area of the forest, roughly fifty feet in diameter. Some of the stumps were still smoking. Artemis had sent Ron and Hermione around to the opposite side, and were instructed to watch for Neville and provide cover if needed. From their position, Harry and Artemis could see Lestrange was seemingly alone in the middle of the clearing. The tip of her wand gave off the glow they had seen earlier.

"Do you remember what to say?" inquired Artemis.

Harry nodded, his throat suddenly dry.

"Good. Then we may begin."

Harry leaned against a tree trunk and slid to the ground. "You shouldn't do this," he whispered. Artemis continued to watch the clearing. Harry closed his eyes and, still hardly believing he was allowing a Muggle to face down a Death Eater, called out.

"Lestrange!"

She was instantly alert. She turned in their direction and called back in a sultry voice, "Is that you, Harry Potter? How nice of you to join us."

"I'm-I'm coming out. Put down your wand."

Lestrange laughed. "I don't think you are in a position to make demands, little wizard. Reveal yourself, and I might let your friend go in one piece."

Harry hesitated, causing Artemis to turn to him. He gestured for Harry to go on. Harry took a deep breath and started again. "I want to see Neville alive."

"You are too insistent for my tastes," she drawled, and flicked her wand lazily towards them. A tree five feet away from Harry burst into flame.

Artemis nodded at Harry and whispered, "Keep going."

"Show me Neville, and I'll come out. It's simple enough." Harry wondered how Ron and Hermione were doing. He wondered how many of them would return to the castle. He would feel a lot safer with numbers on his side.

An urgent hand on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts. "Watch!" hissed Artemis. Lestrange had directed her wand towards a shapeless heap close to the edge of the clearing. The heap was suddenly being dragged towards her, like invisible towlines were wrenching it in. The wand-light fell on it, and revealed Neville's bruised and unconscious face. Harry drew a sharp intake of breathe at the sight of him. He looked badly hurt, and was bound with ropes. It was difficult to tell if he was breathing.

"You see? He is here, and he is still, amazingly, alive." She sent Neville back to the edge with another flick. There was a sickening thud as his body hit a tree. "And now it is time to hold up your end of the deal. I give back this worthless lump, and I get you. Fair's fair." She stood twirling her wand, waiting.

Artemis stood up and put on the bewitched glasses Hermione had given him. They looked exactly like Harry's own glasses, but the lenses allowed him to see details better in the dark then he normally would have been able to. He bent down to Harry's level to remind him, "Remember what to do," before straightening up.

"Good luck," Harry whispered. Artemis didn't reply so he assumed that he didn't hear him.

Artemis was about to enter the clearing when he added, "I don't need luck."

Then he was in front of Lestrange. Harry didn't stay to watch. As soon as Artemis was gone, he started to make his way towards Neville, trying to stay out of sight. He could hear Lestrange talking to Artemis, but couldn't make out the words. Artemis didn't say anything. Doing so would have revealed his Irish accent. Harry had just come to the spot where Neville was laying, and saw Ron appear with Hermione behind him, when Lestrange's voice cut through the night.

"_Crucio!"_

**Well, I_ finally_ read The Lost Colony over the Xmas break, and it was fabulous! But I just have a few questions and queries that I feel I need to ask. You may skip over this bit if you wish, because it does have spoilers, or you can ponder with me.**

**First of all, the little problems that crop up in a book such as this. In the first chapter, it states that Butler is wearing a solinium button that disrupts both human and fairy surveillance equipment. This includes both audio and visual surveillance. Yet three pages later, Butler's cell phone works perfectly. True, it is not surveillance equipment, but being in such close proximity to the button should do _something_ to it. Mine doesn't even work when I go too near the kitchen.**

**Secondly, it is also stated that a moon rock collided with earth sometime in the Triassic period and that it carried with it the micro-organisms that eventually evolved into the demons. It seems a mighty short timeslot for something to evolve from bacteria to a complex magical creature. How long did it take for the dinosaurs to reach their top level of complexity?**

**Thirdly, (I've had a lot of time to think about this) at the end of the book, Artemis gains some measure of magic. Will he have to complete the Ritual like other fairies? Or follow their rules like the no-entering-a-building-unless-invited one? That might put a kink in his schedule.**

**Finally, this is not so much of a complaint but rather a brief notice of the more interesting points in the novel. On pg. 200 of the American edition, just before the group is going to rescue No. 1 the imp, Holly is mentally narrating. The rather spooky line reads, "The next time Artemis had a plan involving someone being taken hostage, he could play the part himself." Here's your big chance, Arty.**

**Lastly, for real, the great philosopher Mulch Diggums utters the memorable line, "I am either going to barf, or fall asleep, or both." It pretty much sums up the feelings of most of the human race. Or at least my feelings.**

**Right, that the end of my little ponder/rant. Back to the slightly skewed view of the real world. Thanks for listening.**

**Bonus: Harry and Artemis each say a sentence a certain number of times. This sentence is actually only written once each, but the number of times each says it is significant. 60 points to tell me why.**

**The answer to the last bonus question was, of course, Opal Koboi. Also, since I feel that it was far too easy, _everyone_ who gave a correct answer will get 75 points. Merry Christmas, er, Groundhog Day!**

**To JadeAshes: after this fic is finished, we shall talk… I will allow you to write a fic from Butler's point of view only AFTER this one is finished. Thank you for your patience.**


	7. Chapter 7: Ghost

**How beauty sours – taunting and timing – cursed – thoughts on the effects of torture – the nightmare of Lestrange – final curse, final test – finally rescued**

Artemis stepped out of the bushes to meet his fate. With the bewitched glasses, he looked up to meet the stare of Bellatrix Lestrange for the first time. She had been beautiful once. Her thick black hair, previously luxurious, now hung in dirty tangles. Her dark eyes were piercing, and perhaps with enough therapy, they would look sane again. Her mouth had a cruel twist to it, and she stood with a proud and condescending bearing. If her clothes hadn't been torn and ragged, she would have looked regal.

She beckoned him towards her. Artemis took only few steps before stopping. "Come now, little Harry," she purred, "you are my guest. Do not be rude and keep me waiting. We have much business we must take care of."

Artemis stayed quiet. He thought he heard a rustle in the bushes behind him. He just had to buy them enough time…

"You seem distracted, Harry. Let me clear your mind." Lestrange drew her wand and muttered something Harry had warned him about. "_Imperio_."

Artemis had been mesmerized before, but you were at least aware of what you were doing. This wiped his mind blank of everything else save for a single command. _Walk. _Artemis fought against it, he needed to maintain control, but he found he _wanted_ to obey. To have his free will taken away so effortlessly secretly terrified him. He could only watch as his feet carried him closer to the murderess.

When he was directly in front of her, she released him. She bent down to his ear and whispered, "The Dark Lord wants you alive, but we both know that 'alive' does not mean the same as 'untouched.' We shall have a little fun before we see him. I hope you prove to be good sport." She straightened up and started to walk around him. "Why so silent, little wizard? Don't you wish to know the fate of the one you are trading your life for? Once you are gone, what will happen to him? Did you think of that, little wizard? Perhaps when you are gone, I shall kill him anyway. And you will not be able to stop me."

Artemis ignored her. Her words were empty, meant only to bring down his confidence. Instead he was mentally calculating if Harry had reached Neville yet. It would take him a few minutes to travel around the edge of the clearing, more if he was being stealthy. Lestrange was still talking.

"…probably think you have a trick or two up your sleeve. But let me assure you, whatever you think you can do to escape, it will prove fruitless. I can do all sorts of painful and drawn-out things to you that will leave you begging for death. Of course, I will leave that privilege to my master…"

He saw a small branch sway in a breeze that wasn't there. Behind it, he could just make out a hunched form. Artemis doubted that Lestrange would be able to see it like he did with the vision-enhanced glasses, but he didn't want her looking in that direction anyway. She was standing behind him, and if she looked over his right shoulder, Harry and the others would be in her line of sight. Luckily, she was too focused on him to bother.

"You haven't been listening, Harry," she said in a dangerously low voice. "You are being rude again. Do I have to teach you a lesson?"

It wouldn't take long to release Neville, Artemis thought. Only a few seconds really.

Her voice cut through his thoughts. "_Crucio!_"

Artemis was no stranger to physical pain, but the feeling never lasted for long and was rarely repeated in the same circumstances. The most serious injuries had been rapidly healed by Holly. Once, when Artemis was six, he had been messing around with circuitry, trying to rebuild something or other. He had misjudged the voltage and shocked himself rather badly. The pain was remembered by his young mind, and afterwards he always wore a pair of gloves for protection against such accidents again.

This was not like that. The effects of Lestrange's curse ripped through his body and forced him to his knees. Every muscle locked up, like he was being electrocuted. This was fortunate in a way, because Artemis couldn't cry out and either distract the others or draw attention to his voice. He had been warned about this curse. Harry had described it was having white-hot knives driven into every square inch of skin. Compared to the torment Artemis was going through, Harry's description sounded like being tickled with feathers. Artemis couldn't find any words to match the pain. It was burning, freezing, numbing, stabbing, slashing, pounding, throbbing, squeezing. All areas of his mind were taken up with receiving pain.

Lestrange released him suddenly. Flashing lights danced in front of his eyes, his breath burned in his chest, and he could feel every pulse of blood in his limbs. He half expected to feel smoke coming off him. He tried to rise from his hands and knees but felt Lestrange's foot nudge him gently. His muscles couldn't support him and he fell forward. Rising up on his arms, he turned so he could see Lestrange.

"You are strong, aren't you?" she asked conversationally. "You didn't even cry out. Interesting. But you did have the classic muscle twitches and weakness afterwards. Nice to know I still have my touch."

Where were the others? They were supposed to provide defence. _Another plan ruined by incompetence_, he thought, then realized that that incompetence would result in his death. His mind distracted him from this fact by finding fault with others.

"Maybe I should try harder, hmm? Maybe I'm becoming soft in my old age," Lestrange mused. Artemis watched her raise her wand with trepidation. Tortures were most effective when you _weren't_ being hurt. It was half mental. The simple knowledge that more pain was to come could break people. Artemis thought he could resist most forms of psychological torture, but there was no protection against this.

The curse hit him again, and he doubled up in agony. If possible, it was worse this time. He was being destroyed from the inside out. His organs were slowly being torn apart, his skull was cracking open, his arteries were bursting. At least it seemed so. Dimly he was aware that a pitiful whimpering was escaping his clenched teeth. His muscles were so tight he thought that they would start snapping like cables.

He was released again. As he lay on the ground in the dark, Artemis knew that he had reached the most basic level of human existence. He was no longer Artemis Fowl, criminal millionaire and genius beyond most people's comprehension or appreciation. He wasn't one of the only humans in history who was in contact with fairies. He wasn't the person people turned to when they needed a plan to get them out of an impossible situation. He was a fifteen-year-old boy alone in the woods with a manic torturer.

He looked up to see Lestrange raise her wand for a third time. She reached down and with a strength belied by her thin arms, picked him up by the throat. Staring into his eyes she said, "You are a bit of a disappointment, Harry. I expected to hear various threats and promises of revenge from you. At least to have you face me on your feet. What would your parents think?"

He felt her breath against his check as she leaned in and whispered, "There is no hope left for you. Not even the release of death." She let go of him, letting him fall to the ground. Artemis knew that if Lestrange had her way, she would leave him alive, but mentally broken. Neville's parents never recovered from her assault. She would make sure he didn't either.

Closing his eyes against her morbid glee, he tried to prepare himself for the next assault. He snapped them open again as a shout came from the woods. A red bolt shot towards Lestrange, who dodged it easily. Shock and anger warped her features. Two other red bolts came from different directions. "Who is out there?" cried Lestrange. She started to wildly fire back bolt after bolt into the trees.

Artemis almost smiled. _Finally, the cavalry is here. _After a few false starts, he found his voice, hoarse and cracked as it was. "Do you ever get nightmares, Lestrange?" he asked quietly.

She looked down at him, the insanity igniting her eyes. "Who are you?" she said in low growl.

Knowing he was going to pay for it later, he replied, "The last person you want to see."

Lestrange's face twitched. Her breathing quickened as she realized how they tricked her. Snarling like an animal, she turned back to woods, some of which was aflame, and screeched, "Harry Potter! You shall regret this trickery! Show yourself, or your accomplice dies."

She pulled a second wand from the folds of her clothes, probably Neville's. One she aimed towards the woods to fend off the continuing onslaught, and the other she pointed at Artemis. "We want to give him a chance, don't we?" she whispered in his general direction.

She cursed Artemis once more. And held it. The others had been only for a few seconds, but this went on and on. The pain blocked all his senses. Suddenly he was blind and deaf and numb. He couldn't feel himself spasm and buck against the ground. He couldn't hear his own cries of pain. All he was aware of was a weak voice in the back of his mind repeating a pathetic mantra. _Please, kill me now, just let it stop, please just kill me, stop it, let me die, please…_

If it had been a natural physical pain, he would have blacked out by now. One of the side effects of the curse was to keep you conscious. It wasn't any fun to torture an unresponsive body. But the sheer force of the pain blinded the senses to anything else. So while Artemis was acutely aware of every blow the curse delivered to his tormented nervous system, nothing beyond that could be registered. He couldn't see how Lestrange was struggling to maintain the curse and protect herself the same time. He didn't see Harry, Hermione, and Ron racing around the edge of the clearing, no longer concerned about not being seen. He wasn't aware of the dozens of multi-coloured spells flying over his head, making the woods look like a rock concert. He didn't hear Lestrange scream in anger.

The pain was suddenly gone. The curse had stopped. And he was alive. Artemis could only lie there as a pins-and-needles sensation spread over his body. Quickly he took stock of himself. His mind, while shaken, appeared to be intact. He hadn't gone mad then. Good. Nothing was broken or bleeding. He couldn't see anything, but he hoped that was only due to his nerve receptors being over-stimulated. He could vaguely hear voices that sounded close by and far away at the same time.

Artemis groaned. He was starting to lose consciousness, and the voices seemed to drill into his skull. He felt nauseous and dizzy. All he wanted right now was to sleep. No more Lestrange, or Neville, or Hogwarts. Just blissful oblivion.

He must have blacked out for a few minutes, because the voices were shouting again. No, not shouting. It was just senseless noise. Screams of rage, yelling, panicked cries. Another battle. Through the blackness, he could see more coloured light streaming overhead. Thuds of running feet passed by. A heavy boot impacted his side, winding him. A sharp crack, a whoosh of air, and then there was silence. _I knew this would become chaotic,_ Artemis thought muzzily, trying not to heave.

A shape came into his view. The night-vision glasses had disappeared somewhere, but he still couldn't see properly so it didn't matter anyway. "Artemis," a soft voice whispered, "are you alright? Can you hear me?"

Artemis was annoyed that this person had disturbed him. Couldn't they see he needed rest?

"Artemis," the voice persisted, "she's gone. She Disapperated and escaped. We're all safe, even Neville."

Neville? Slowly, shattered memories repaired themselves. The mind's defence mechanism of forgetting was being replaced with harsh recollections. Artemis groaned again as what happened only minutes ago came back. He would rather forget this experience.

"It worked, Artemis. It worked."

Artemis's vision clouded, and he stopped trying to think. He lost consciousness for the last time that night. There was nothing left he could worry about. It was over.

**:moment of silence: This chapter took awhile not because writing it caused emotional pain (which it didn't), but that trying to write a single torture method used _repeatedly_ is extremely difficult to flesh out to a decent length. The first draft was only about three pages long. Hopefully, this has satisfied the masses for a few weeks until I write the next, and probably final, true chapter (and perhaps an epilogue).**

**Bonus: I could not think of any good question to ask, so this will be an opinion section. If you want to answer, _please_ PM me! The question is thusly: if a story was written about Jesus being a superhero, and the history of how it came about, would you read it? If you answer only to cast me into hell for blasphemy, then please, blog it instead.**

**Congrats to JadeAshes and NinjAngel for correctly guessing the significant of the repeated sentences.**

'"**I can't believe I'm doing this," Harry muttered for the seventh time.' in reference to the seven Harry Potter books, and '"Please stay quiet," Artemis said for the sixth.' for the six Artemis books (the sixth being either Artemis Fowl Files or the rumoured sixth book in the series). Good deducing.**


	8. Chapter 8: See the World

**Bedside manners – the aftermath – blue eyes – breakfast with Dumbledore – awkward moments – literary conventions – unexpected exchanges – coming home**

Harry stretched to try and work out the kinks in his back. Wooden chairs were not the best to sleep in. He hadn't even been here that long. Between the three of them, they had been going in shifts, and every few hours someone would relieve them of their bedside vigilance. He stood and walked around to get the feeling back in his legs. No one else was in the hospital wing, not even Madam Pomfrey. All the other beds were empty. Harry stared dully out the window for a moment, then walked back to the bed.

He looked down at the still form of Artemis. A lot had happened after Lestrange disappeared. Finding Artemis was the worst. Harry felt guilt-ridden that he had involved him in this. Why did he ever agree to it? Sending a Muggle to face down Lestrange? It was insanity. But…it worked.

Harry often replayed the battle when he was sitting in the gloom alone, surrounded by the acrid smell of potions. They knew what to do, they had their roles, but the sight of Artemis writhing on the ground nearly undid them. A simple plan, release Neville and hide him under the Invisibility Cloak, was almost destroyed. Their intent was never to capture Lestrange, but to escape with the hostage. That's how Artemis referred to Neville as. 'The hostage.' Leave emotions behind. Emotions almost got them killed. The fact that Lestrange disappeared without a fight was a blessing. If she had taken Artemis with her…Harry tried not to think about it.

Artemis had passed out, and Neville still hadn't regained consciousness, so that left Harry, Ron, and Hermione to half-carry, half-levitate them both out of the woods. That had been hard enough, but it was just the beginning of their troubles. Harry cringed when he remembered the looks on the professors' faces when they were forced to explain not only why Neville looked like he had gone five rounds with a troll, but why they had an unconscious Muggle with them as well. Punishment was to wait until Dumbledore returned.

Both Neville and Artemis were rushed to the care of Madam Pomfrey. Neville's injuries looked worse than they were, and he was released the next night, with instructions to take it easy. Harry already knew that the sounds of Neville's nightmares would become very familiar to him.

As for Artemis, he hadn't woken up since the clearing, two days ago. Madam Pomfrey said his condition was too delicate to transport him to St. Mungo's, and he didn't have any serious physical injuries anyway. Any damage was probably mental, but they wouldn't be able to know for sure until he woke up. If he woke up.

It was only later that Harry began thinking about the consequences of what happened. Artemis had a family. What would they tell them? Such thoughts only made Harry feel worse.

Harry was shaken from his morose contemplations by noise outside. Classes were changing; students thronged the hallway, either ignorant of or ignoring the patients in the ward. Two split off from the crowd and approached him. Hermione, Ron, and he had been excused from classes for the next few days, but spending all day in the hospital wing would drive anybody mad.

"Any change?" asked Hermione.

"Nothing," Harry replied dully, "Nothing for two days." He glanced at his watch. "Going on three."

"You should go, Harry," suggested Ron, "I can take over here."

"I'm fine."

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances behind him. "Harry…," Hermione began, but was interrupted.

"I'll be fine for another couple of hours. You guys go. Try and stop any wild rumours from spreading."

The other two knew it was pointless to argue. With another worried look behind them, they left.

Harry sighed and leaned back in his chair. Madam Pomfrey's words came back to him. When she was first examining Artemis, she remarked on his healthy physical condition.

"Wizards are different from Muggles, on the basic level, I mean, not just the magic. Wizards are able to handle more than the average Muggle can. Could be a kind of resistance the use of magic creates. Something that a wizard may need a day's recovery from could kill a Muggle. Which is why I'm surprised at this boy here. A curse like that should have done a lot more damage to him. Perhaps he has magical ancestors, or a little residual magic in him." Maybe he would be alright.

"Merlin, you're really worrying them," he muttered to Artemis's recumbent body. It made things feel normal, talking to him as if he could hear. "Everyone's thinking that you'll be in a coma for the rest of your life, or that if you wake up then you'll just be, I don't know, you won't be yourself…" Harry trailed off.

His voice dropped even lower, until he was almost whispering. "Why'd you do it, Art? You knew what you were getting into, and you did it anyway." Harry laughed humourlessly. "You must be really stupid. I've been thinking, how are we going to get you home? Can't just Apparate you on to the front lawn, can we? We don't even know where you live."

Was it a trick of the light, or was he breathing better? Harry continued. "Of course, if you don't come out of this, they'll have to give all your gold away. You can't use it, right? So what's the point in having it lie around in storage? From what you tell me, you have an awful lot of it." His colour was better, or was he always supposed to look that pale? Harry stopped talking and watched Artemis carefully. _If this was a cliché,_ he thought, _he'd wake up right now._

No response.

Harry sighed and settled back in his chair.

* * *

Harry woke up in darkness. He blinked a few times before he realized that the candles were out. He fumbled for his wand to relight them while wondering what had awaked him. Perhaps one of the ghosts were passing, or Peeves. A student out past curfew. A prefect doing rounds. Yeah, that was it. 

The flare from the candles was reflected in a pair of blue eyes.

"Haagh!" Harry yelled in surprise. His chair, already unstable, toppled over while Artemis watched him calmly from the bed. He was sitting upright, with a look of cool interest, as one would look at an oddly shaped fungus.

"My name is Artemis," he said, as if nothing happened, "not Art."

Harry could only stare back at him from the floor in shock.

"And I am not," Artemis continued, "as you say, stupid."

Harry slowly picked himself up, Artemis's eyes following him.

"I am also entirely sure that my store of gold is quite safe."

Shock and amazement got together and birthed hysteria, and Harry let out a harsh giggle before he could control himself. When he felt able to speak, he said simply, "You're awake."

"How very astute of you, Harry," Artemis replied dryly.

Harry set his chair upright and sat in it again. He stared at Artemis for a moment, then started to laugh. It wasn't a nervous giggle like before. He was laughing out of relief. Artemis looked at him like he had gone mad. When Harry finally settled down again, he asked, "So, how are you feeling?"

"Surprisingly refreshed. There's some stiffness and bruising, but everything else is in perfect working order. Including my mental capabilities."

"How do you know?" questioned Harry.

"I remember everything that happened." It seemed to Harry that he said this with a slightly darker tone of voice than before.

"And you're okay?" he asked hesitantly.

"If you mean to ask if there will be any long-term effects, then I doubt it. But for the time being…," Artemis's expression changed subtly, "I think I shall avoid isolated areas. And strange older woman." He tried to smile wanly, but the candlelight made it look like a grimace.

In an effort to change the subject, Harry asked, "Hungry?"

"When is morning?"

Harry blinked at the sudden switch, but glanced at his watch. "About three hours. Why?"

"You should return to your dormitory. I will stay here and try to get some real sleep. We can meet again in the morning."

Artemis spoke with such self-assured direction that Harry found it hard to argue. He left thinking that it was amazing for a person to go through something like that and come out with the same amount of superiority as before. He chuckled softly in the dark.

* * *

Harry woke up with that wonderful feeling of forgetfulness, where everything was good and nothing bad was happening. It didn't last long. Now that Artemis's condition was no longer in question, other matters could be brought to light. Like detention. He doubted that he would be punished for driving off a Death Eater, but might be made an example of for things like leaving school grounds, endangering other students, and allowing Muggles to witness magic. But did something as unimportant like detention really matter, next to what they had accomplished? Maybe not, but it would be nice if he didn't have to go through with it. 

Harry had wandered down to the Great Hall when a bubble of memory burst and he backtracked to the hospital wing. He walked in on an interesting tableau: Artemis, awake and dressed, talking amicably to Dumbledore and sharing breakfast.

Artemis saw him first. "Care to join us, Harry?"

Harry, unsure if he had interrupted something private, walked slowly towards them.

"Your headmaster and I have been having quite a discussion," Artemis continued. "It has been…enlightening,"

"Toast, Harry?" Dumbledore held out a plate littered with toast, jam, butter, and marmalade.

"Er, thanks," Harry said, taking a piece and sitting in a chair.

"I have also learned quite a bit from this young gentleman here," Dumbledore said to him. He wasn't sure what that twinkle in his eye meant. Was he in trouble or not?

"Really?" he said weakly.

"And I must say, I am surprised that a stranger to your dilemma would offer such services." Dumbledore was still looking at him. Harry realized what he was actually trying to ask, if Artemis had been offered something in exchange or had been coerced into doing it. He felt a twinge of indignation.

Artemis saw the same thing and intervened. "I assure you, Headmaster, that all my actions resulted completely from my own decisions and free will. In fact, Harry tried several times to refrain me from joining them."

"I never doubted that it was so," replied Dumbledore, without hesitation. "Now if you excuse me, I have far too many things to organize and far too few people to delegate work to." He nodded to both of them, and left the wing.

Harry nibbled his toast, suddenly anxious. "So, what did he say?" he asked.

Artemis had watched Dumbledore leave and continued to gaze in his direction. When he spoke he sounded thoughtful. "He explained a few things to me."

Harry distracted himself with the jam. He hadn't eaten much in the last few days.

"He has also agreed to allow me to keep my memories," Artemis added.

Harry looked up in surprise. "Really? I mean, why?"

"As traumatic as this experience may have been, I am loathe to surrender any part of it. My memories of this place could yet be beneficial." His attention shifted to Harry. "As soon as it is convenient, I would like to return home."

"How?" he asked around a mouthful of toast.

"Arrangements have been made with Dumbledore. I thought I should make my farewells before I left."

Harry paused to think and chew. "Well," he started, "I won't say it's been fun."

"No," agreed Artemis, straight-faced.

"But I am glad to have had you on our side. There's no telling what might have happened if you weren't here. Thank you, for everything." Harry held out his hand, and Artemis shook it genially.

"I suppose I should thank you as well," he said.

"What for?" Harry asked incredulously. "For nearly getting you killed?"

"A triviality. It is not the first time my life has been in peril. No, I would like to thank you for introducing me to your world. It has been fascinating to say the least. I would not have missing such an education for anything," Artemis said sincerely.

Following such a statement was the awkward pause which occurs whenever two males have left each other emotionally exposed.

"I, uh, I should fetch Ron and Hermione. They'll want to see how you're doing." Harry made his escape.

* * *

If literary conventions were to hold true, such a day would dawn with the darkness of clouds masking the dawn, and all-day rain would make you feel like you were breathing through a damp cloth. Or it the sun would rise sullen and red, then proceed to blaze with the full strength of nuclear fusion. 

This was not one of those days. There were scattered clouds in the sky, and a thin wind created a chill, but only in short intervals. It was an average spring morning. Four people stood outside, one a little separated from the others.

"How is Dumbledore going to get you home?" Hermione asked.

Artemis held up a quill. "I believe he called it a 'Portkey.' I say the key phrase and it takes me home."

"Hold on to it," said Ron. "Believe me. It's not gentle."

"Stop trying to scare him," admonished Hermione, hitting him lightly on the shoulder.

"I'm just warning him!" Ron dodged her next hit, and teasingly remained out of her reach.

Harry watched them for a moment, awkward about what to say. What could he say? Nice knowing you? We'll miss you? Have a good trip? They all seemed painfully false and trite.

"I don't think I should say 'Stop in any time.' You might outstay your welcome," Harry said weakly.

"I should be on my way. Heaven knows that this will take the better part of the day to explain," Artemis said, sensing how uncomfortable Harry was. He held the quill up and opened his mouth—

"You can't leave yet!"

Harry turned. Hermione had joined them again, and she held out something large and square wrapped hastily in parchment.

"I, uh, well, I wanted to give this to you," Hermione blurted, "I saw you reading it, and I thought, well, you might like to finish it…"

Artemis carefully unfolded the package. It was Hermione's copy of _Hogwarts, A History_.

Ignoring Ron's harsh "Hermione!" Artemis graciously thanked her. "I only wish I could offer you something in return."

"How about your address?" she answered promptly. Artemis blinked once, but dutifully wrote it out on the parchment. Harry was left to clamp a hand over Ron's mouth, and tried to tell him silently to stay out of it. By the time Artemis was finished writing, he had calmed down, but his ears remained red.

Hermione started to move away, but Artemis stopped her. "If I may, I would ask something of you. A small favour, nothing more."

Harry and Ron watched in mild astonishment as Artemis leaned close to Hermione and whispered in her ear. Artemis's eyes looked up at them while he was speaking, and it seemed to Harry that they contained something…sly. No, weaker than sly; it was the barest suggestion of…what? Mockery? Like he was making fun of them. More likely it was nothing, but he felt Ron tense beside him.

Hermione's giggle broke his thoughts. "No problem. It's one of the easiest things to do." She stepped back and drew her wand. "Goodbye robes, hello Armani." The black school robes were transformed back into Artemis's business suit. He smiled as he inspected it. He bowed deeply and said, "I thank you humbly, my dear lady. And now, I must take my leave of your fine company."

He looked at each of them, raised the quill in a kind of toast, and said, "Fowl Manor." And he was gone.

Harry had been expecting some kind of dramatic exit, so Artemis's abrupt disappearance took him by surprise. _Although,_ he thought,_ perhaps he's had enough drama for awhile._

"So long, Irish git!" Ron called, but without malice. They walked back in silence, each thoughtful.

* * *

Artemis appeared standing on the front lawn of Fowl Manor a little shaken, but fine on the whole. While anyone else would have ran wildly around the grounds laughing like a maniac to finally be home, Artemis merely breathed deeply and looked around. Everything was as it should be, from the manicured lawn to the security cameras on top of the stone wall. He walked to the front door and, realizing he didn't have any way to get in, knocked politely. There was a few seconds of silence, and the familiar sounds of several different kinds of alarms being disarmed came from within. Another pause, and then— 

"Artemis?" Butler stood in the doorway, his impeccable training allowing only a small fraction of shock show on his face.

"Good morning, Butler," Artemis said pleasantly, twirling the quill in his fingers. He smiled innocently. He could almost see the gears slide into several new positions in Butler's mind.

"I think…things need to be explained," he said finally.

Artemis chuckled, thinking about all that had happened in the last five days. "Let's take a walk, old friend. This may take awhile."

* * *

Below there are two figures, walking along the moor. You move away from the valley, away from the wild and misty north. As the view expands you see the landscape become an island, not small, but not extraordinarily large either. Other islands appear as you move farther away. See the landforms lose detail as you move farther still. You see the expanse of ice surrounded by more land than water. Move farther. See the fragile blue-green jewel endlessly spinning through space. See the world. 

**Mad dash to get this done before jet-setting off over spring break. It turned out longer than expected, a nice change from the last chapter. P.S. notice anything familiar about the last paragraph?**

**I'll get the last chapter up in April (maybe). Ciao!**

**Thanks for the feedback on my next story idea. Brownies for everyone!**

**Bonus: 45 points for noticing the nod to The Lost Colony.**


	9. Epilogue: 2 Weeks Later

_**Fowl Manor:**_

Artemis rose early for breakfast as usual despite his fatigue and walked down to the kitchen. The smell of eggs frying met him on the stairs, and he saw that his parents were already eating. He was about to join them when Butler attracted his attention.

"Artemis?" he called from the lobby, "Can you please come here?"

He walked over to the bodyguard, wondering about the odd tone in his voice. When he came around the corner, he saw the brief look of concern in Butler's eyes. It was starting to annoy him, really. While a sufficient cover story had been given to his parents, Artemis had told Butler everything. He did not dwell on Lestrange or what she did to him, but the unwanted memories haunted him at night. And however well he hid his weariness during the day, Butler could always see the effects of sleep punctured by nightmares.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait until after breakfast," he said testily.

"No," replied Butler in a strained voice, "I don't think it can." He pointed out the window.

A large, red-eyed eagle owl was sitting on the railing next to the steps. It glared at them through the window and let out a screech quite unlike its namesake. Both of them stared at it for several seconds before it flew over and started to strike the window with its beak. Artemis snapped to attention and flipped the latch to receive the large raptor.

"Why is there an owl here?" Butler asked calmly, showing how out of sync this was with his view of the world.

"I think," Artemis began, watching as the owl presented one wickedly clawed talon, "someone is trying to contact me." There was a roll of parchment tied neatly around the bird's leg. He delicately untied it, but before he could read what it said, another owl flew in and landed on the windowsill. It was a barn owl, and it had another, slightly thicker roll of parchment around its leg.

"You mean, from them?" _Them_ meant the wizards; at least until they could come up with a better codename.

Artemis was now reading over the first message. "Exactly. It took some convincing, but the Headmaster agreed to keep me informed. At least informed of the relevant things."

Mental alarm bells began ringing. "And what would constitute something as being 'relevant'?" Butler asked suspiciously.

Artemis waved the question off as he started reading the second message. He didn't speak, just skimmed his eyes over the neat writing. Without looking up, he moved towards the stairs, breakfast forgotten. "Please excuse my absence to my parents," he said as an afterthought, and disappeared downstairs.

Butler was left wondering what could have distracted his charge so completely while the owls waited patiently by the window, and occasionally pecked at his fingers for food.

_**Hogwarts:**_

Harry emerged from the History of Magic classroom still sneezing. As part of his punishment he had to dust all the historical artifacts both on display and in storage. It had taken hours, and, if the stiffness in his back was any judge, he wouldn't ever be able to stand up straight again. Thankfully, this was his last day of detention, and he would be free to get into mischief once more.

Having missed most of dinner, he thought he would just sneak down to the kitchens to grab something. He met up with Ron coming out of the Great Hall.

"Slimy git," he muttered darkly.

"Who?" Harry asked, startled.

"Who else? Malfoy." Ron nodded towards a side corridor, where Malfoy and his cronies were receding quickly from view. "He had something to do with it. You know it, I know it, everybody knows it! How else would she know where to look for him?"

Ron's rant, while cryptic to anyone else, made perfect sense to Harry. When they all had time to catch their breath and think, it became obvious who would have helped Lestrange. It would have been easy enough to follow Neville, and then give his location to her. The only trouble was that there wasn't any way to _prove_ it.

As usual.

It was several minutes before Ron could move on to another topic. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said, reaching into his robes, "Hedwig dropped this off for you at supper." He handed Harry a piece of parchment. "It's from Snuffles."

Harry opened it to find the expected concerns about his safety, scoldings for putting his friends in danger, and the poorly-hidden amazement at what he'd done. The postscript, however, was far more interesting.

_By the way, I've receive word from the others at No. 12 that some unusual funds have been coming into the Order's account. Back in the old days, it wasn't that strange to find people making donations, anonymously of course, but they were always small amounts, the little people could spare without drawing attention to themselves. This is larger than any of those. We've tried to trace them, but the goblins are being even more tight-lipped about it than usual._

Harry stopped walking as a strange idea crept into the back of his mind. It was so out-of-place that it was instantly pounced on by common sense and done away with. Large donations…No, it was too far-fetched, not even worth mentioning to the others.

They met Hermione coming out of the kitchens. "Hi, guys. I was just talking with the house-elves. Most of them still think that getting paid is some sort of sin."

Ron turned away to cover a snicker while Harry presented to note from Sirius to her. "Read the bit at the bottom," he said.

Hermione took the message in quickly, then leaned back and murmured, "That's curious…"

"What?" asked Ron, now that he had recovered himself.

"I got this a little while ago," she replied, digging in her robes. "I've never received something like this. You think they have something to do with each other?" She held out a neatly folded square of paper, not parchment, but the kind Muggles would use. Harry unfolded it and saw a short sentence that had been printed out from a machine.

It read, _Arrangements have been made._

"Why would you think they had something to do with each other?" Ron asked.

Hermione instantly started to blush. "Well, I was just writing letters home, you know, as I do, and I thought, 'well, I have his address here anyway, and you can hire owls to go the distance, so why not,' and I asked him to write back, so maybe he's not much of a writer." She trailed off, mumbling.

Ron stared at her. "You wrote to Artemis Fowl?"

"Yes, I did," she said a trace defiantly.

"Can I see that note again?" broke in Harry, trying to divert a row.

He read the four words over, trying to decipher any meaning from them. If it was from him…what was he trying to say? Harry recalled one of the last conversations they had together. _Dumbledore has allowed me to keep my memories;_ _they could yet be beneficial._

Harry looked back to Sirius's note. _Unusual funds._

Artemis's note: _Arrangements have been made._

As the idea crystallized in Harry's mind, he spontaneously threw back his head and laughed. He wondered how the goblins were able to convert euros to Galleons.

_Arrangements have been made._

**Farewell, my loyal readers! I'm off to ride majestically into the sunset in a blaze of delusions and peanut butter. I have become both humbled and enamored with your glorious reviews, and I wish to live up to your expectations of me by continuing to write in the same manner you have come to anticipate.**

**Enough with the fluff, let's get some dedications here! To name each reviewer from each chapter would take far too long, so I would like to send a thank-you to all of them right now. THANK YOU!!**

**Also thank you to the many readers who chose not to leave a review (you know who you are, I've seen the numbers).**

**To drop a few names, watch JadeAshes, whom I have given permission to be able to write a sequel from Butler and the fairies points of view. Thanks for feeling this was worthy of a sequel!**

**And to Dim Aldebaran, for nominating me for the 2007 Orion Awards, set up to celebrate the best in Artemis Fowl fanfiction. (also, may I add, I have just learned that my other Fowl fic, The Future of Fowl, was shortlisted for Best Complete Chapter and Best/Most Memorable Line. Neither of them won, of course. Maybe next time. Make sure to vote!)**

**45 points to KASLiNN for noticing the nod to The Lost Colony, Pomfrey talking about 'residual magic.' And to the reviewers who saw that the last paragraph was the reverse of the first one.**


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